When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
Matthew 7:28-29 NIVUK
Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, ‘Why didn’t you bring him in?’ ‘No-one ever spoke the way this man does,’ the guards replied.
John 7:45-46
I once read of a man – a father – who was doing his fatherly duty by piecing together some flat pack furniture. On noticing that it didn’t resemble the picture of the box, his wife gently showed him the instructions and said to him, ‘Would these help you?’
He brushed them aside. ‘That’s their interpretation.’ he told her boldly. ‘This is mine.’
Life is a bit like flat pack furniture. If you follow the instructions, it will turn out fine. If you don’t, you could end up with a huge mess and several screws loose.
Jesus has just wound up one of His most famous sermons. And here, in just a few verses, the crowd provides their reaction.
They love it. Because He speaks authoritatively, as somehow who is certain and knows precisely what He is talking about. As Eugene Peterson’s The Message puts it:
When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying—quite a contrast to their religion teachers! This was the best teaching they had ever heard.
Matthew 7:28-29 MSG
He went down to Capernaum, a village in Galilee. He was teaching the people on the Sabbath. They were surprised and impressed—his teaching was so forthright, so confident, so authoritative, not the quibbling and quoting they were used to.
Luke 4:31-32 MSG
It was clear. It was concise. It was direct.
Not like their teachers of the law.
You see, the teachers of the law didn’t just have the Old Testament writings, they also had the Talmud – essentially a commentary containing the opinions of thousands of rabbis, who often contradicted each other. So if you went to them for an opinion, you would often get, ‘Well, this rabbi says this, and that Rabbi said that...’
Whereas Jesus’ teaching was way more simple and way more direct: ‘The law says this, but I want you to exceed the law, so you should do that.’
Much more straightforward.
And Jesus highlights three areas of our lives in this Sermon where we must obey:
Morally – by not hiding behind excuses and loopholes, and by exceeding the law
Spiritually – by relating to God as He rightly deserves
Relationally – by resolving our relationship issues, with each other and with God, and putting Him first above all
But how we react to it is up to us.
I remember during the Covid pandemic we had fully qualified epidemiologists and biologists giving clear and unequivocal guidance to our politicians. But some of them refused it. ‘We don’t need experts.’ they said.
Well, look how that turned out.
Jesus was listened to by the crowd and respected because He spoke as an expert – an expert on life – and they listened.
Let’s not be confused. Jesus is not telling His followers how to be saved for eternity. But He is telling them how to be safe from the problems of life. He us pointing out the pitfalls and the cliff edges. These words do us a huge favour.
So let’s not see them as infringing on our personal liberties or denying us our rights or spoiling our fun.
Let’s see them instead as a loving Saviour doing what He can to keep us safe.
Safe now. Safe for eternity.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I recognise you as the Ultimate Authority on life – the One True God who knows how to live abundantly. Help me to submit fully to your Lordship and seek to obey all that You have taught me. Amen.
Questions
1. What was different about the way Jesus taught compared to the way the Jewish rabbis taught? Why did ordinary people like this and need it?
2. Which three areas of life did Jesus teach about? Why are they important?
3. Are there any particular areas of your life where you need to repent and follow Jesus?
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