The importance of the teacher as model

First, Jesus stresses the importance of the role of a teacher as model. With few exceptions, students do not surpass their teacher in knowledge and virtue. Therefore, if the teacher is vicious to begin with, there is little hope for the followers. This outght to be instructive for those of us in Western culture where we often follow the principles taught by famous teachers (Spinoza, Darwin, Freud, Descartes, Machiavelli, Rousseau, Marx, etc.) who were perverse and ignoble in their personal lives. How can we expect society as a whole to be elevated by the doctrines of men who themselves were so unsuccessful as human beings?

John Bergsma, Word of the Lord Year C,
commenting on Luke 6:39-45

John Bergsma is commenting on Luke 6:39-45 when Jesus says, "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit." I think we're seeing the fruit of the teachers that Bergsma mentions. We're confused, have the wrong goals, and can't see the solid ground beneath our feet.