March 26, 2016
Scripture Reading: Matthew 7:28-29
28When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
Questions for Reflection:
Several years ago, there was a commercial that said, “When EF Hutton speaks, people listen.” Have you ever been around a person that when they spoke, the conversation shifted and everyone leaned in to hear what they were about to say? I remember serving at a church where one of the elders would often sit silently through the service, but when he chose to speak, it was time to listen because something profound or important was about ready to be said.
When Jesus spoke, he had a similar effect on the crowd. What did the crowd notice about his teaching? How was his teaching different from the other teachers of the law? What was it about his teaching that conveyed this authority?
New Testament scholar DA Carson writes, “Jesus’ authority is unique and the crowds recognized it even if they did not always understand it.” In “Jesus with Dirty Feet,” Don Everts describes Jesus teaching:
“Jesus taught. His favorite topic was the Kingdom of God. But Jesus wasn’t like other teachers of his day. He never spoke vaguely with some esoteric code language. He never obfuscated with intellectual, theological terms. He never used convoluted traps to trick people into looking foolish…His truth, uncomfortable for some and a balm for others, was always stunningly clear and its implications always unavoidable…His teaching illumined the mysteries of life, nailed the realities of human nature, spoke clearly of God’s ways and brightly proclaimed the news of the Kingdom and its possibilities. People in great crowds pressed in to get close enough to hear his words. And they were left standing either indignant or thoughtfully silent when he finished. He taught like no one ever had.”
As you reflect back on the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount that we have studied over the past few weeks, what has challenged your thinking the most? What verses from this famous teaching have comforted you? How have they helped you understand God better? How have they helped you better understand what it means to follow Jesus?