Pastors, teachers and group leaders: Classes have resumed at schools and universities, or will soon. In my 2-minute video (below), a harsh Religious Studies professor threatens to fail his students unless they can describe in one minute “the essence of Jesus’ teachings!” (Wait for the twist!) If you’re looking for a powerful illustration* to kick-off the school year, this may be just the thing! It’s available from my church film distributor Sermon Central. To learn more, or to download the video, click here!
Drama Groups: To read or order the script version, click here.
*Visit my Story Shop for more books, movies and teaching resources!
That is beautiful, Mitch. Gave me Godbumps.
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Maybe it’s because it’s the kind of thing I’d pull with my students, but I could see it coming. You’ve probably also seen the one with the political science teacher telling the kids that he’s going to average their scores so they all get the same grade, and as the semester went on and the good students stopped working so hard, they all failed. Lesson: Socialism is a terrible idea.
This was short but impactful.. Thank you, Mitch.
My pleasure, Nigel, and good to hear from you.
My pleasure. Will do my best to be more present.
Love this! 😎👏
Thanks, Darry!
What struck me most wasn’t just the clever setup, but the clarity of the professor’s challenge. We spend so much time complicating what Jesus made simple. His teachings aren’t a maze; they’re a summons — direct, disruptive, and impossible to ignore once truly heard.
The twist in your video lands because it exposes how quickly we drift from the essence. We explain, analyze, nuance, and defend, but rarely embody. Grace isn’t a theory; it’s a force. And when it’s lived, even briefly, it reorders the room — whether a classroom, a church, or a heart.
Thanks for the reminder at the start of a new season. If we’re going to teach anything worth remembering, it has to begin with the thing Jesus never stopped insisting on: love that costs something, forgiveness that feels impossible, and obedience that reshapes the world one person at a time.
Thank you, and I agree, my friend.
Nice video and message, Mitch! Grace indeed.
Thank you, Edward.
You’re very welcome!
Your video clearly demonstrates the amazing gift of Grace. Loved it! 🙂
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Loved the video!
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That was awesome 👏 I loved it 🥰 . Thank God for His GRACE 🙏❤️
Amen, Lupe. 🧡
This is one of the most effective illustrations of God’s grace, I’ve ever seen. Succinct and captivating. Dirt
Why, thank you, Dirt.
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Beautiful, amazing grace. Such a difficult thing to explain, but when you see it, you immediately understand. Great message Mitch.
Thank you, Brian. 🧡
Love this Mitch. 🤍
Aw, thank you, T❣
Powerful!!!
Thank you, Kelli!
That was unexpected. It shouldn’t be though.
I know the point was the message, and that was awesome, but all I could think was how many schools have leaned so hard in the opposite direction that this message would be vilified on their campuses (if ever delivered in the first place).
Yay! I passed! Although a great lesson, it would be difficult to present in a public school setting.
True, Pam.