Imagine the case where a student disagrees with his teacher's method, and believes that he knows a better way. The teacher realizes that if he kicks the student out of the classroom, the other students may begin to wonder if the teacher was hiding something. To settle the matter once and for all, the teacher gives the student a chance to prove himself.
Wisely, the teacher takes a moment to lay down the parameters for the challenge. He takes away the textbooks and calculators, removes all the desks and chairs from the classroom, turns off the climate control, pulls down the window curtains and turns off the lights.
The teacher then makes an announcement. This challenge will only take place during lunch period, but no one will be allowed to eat. When the challenge is over, the teacher, alone, will be the one to judge the winner. He adds the stipulation that if even one student agrees with the teacher in the end, that will be considered evidence enough that the teacher is right and all other students will be kicked out of the classroom forever. Further, the teacher makes a pronouncement right then and there that no matter how the student performs, the teacher will intervene at the very last minute of the period and sabatage all of the student's efforts.
The teacher then steps aside and lets the student begin. Immediately, however, the teacher doesn't like what he sees so he interupts over and over again, often forcing the student to start again from the beginning.
Meanwhile, the teacher separates the other students into several different groups scattered throughout the classroom, then puts up drapes to prevent the groups from easily intermingling. Many students can't even hear the student at the front of the room, and in their state of confusion, don't understand what's happening. The rest either don't know who is talking, what he is saying, or are so uncomfortable, frightened and hungry that they have lost the will to even try.
In the midst of all this chaos, the teacher roams around the room, whispering some good news into the ears of some, but not all, of the student's ears. He tells them that all hope is not lost! Any student who sides with the teacher will automatically be given an A for the course, while all students who don't side with with the teacher will automatically be given an F for the course. He then hands them earplugs and tells them that the best way to make it to the end is to stop up their ears so as to not be able to listen to the student at the front the class and to stay as far away as possible form any other student who does not have their ears stopped up.
Was that not a wise and loving thing for the teacher to do? Let us now consider what this illustration teaches us about suffering, death and the vindication of God's name.