Matthew 7:28 – 29 ”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.”
AUTHORITY!!! We all know when we hear someone who really knows what he/she is talking about! In an earlier age, there was a TV commercial showing lots of people in a crowded location talking as loudly as possible. Suddenly, everything became absolutely quiet! Why? Because the voice of authority had spoken. The punch line stated, “When E. F. Hutton speaks, everybody listens!” The audience was to assume that the E. F. Hutton Company would give them perfect advice as to where they should invest their money.
There are colorful expressions to describe a man or woman who is just talking without being knowledgeable. Texans are fond of saying that a blow – hard is a guy who is “all hat and no cattle.” The fellow might look impressive, but he has no substance.
In those days, there were teachers of the law in every synagogue. But these teachers spent much of their time haggling over small points of the law and how a true believer should observe the law. For the average believer it must have been like watching verbal ping – pong! At the end of the day, believers wound up confused; Rabbi Sholom said this, while Rabbi Ben Juda said that. And if two scholars agreed, a third person might come in and totally disagree with the first two! But Jesus? Ah! Jesus was so different! When Jesus spoke about the kingdom of God, his hearers instinctively realized that he really DID know what he was talking about.
When Jesus taught, people knew that Jesus’ teachings were true. Listening to Jesus might not always have been pleasant or comfortable, but there was no doubt that Jesus was giving spiritual insights that resonated with the teachings in the Torah and the Haftorah. It was like watching a master solver of jigsaw puzzles putting all the pieces together in a puzzle with a million pieces. Everything fit. Things felt RIGHT!
Are parts of your life not working properly today? Feel as if you’ve gotten bad advice from someone who was all hat and no cattle? Try Jesus! You might find that you want to argue with him or you might wish his teachings weren’t so pointed, but when you are studying Jesus’ teachings about the kingdom, you’re getting your information from the Son.
“Majesty, Kingdom Authority, flows from His throne, unto His own, His anthems raise!”
PRAYER: Father God, thank you that you are the Creator, Sustainer, and the Lord of the universe! Help us to listen when you speak and to hide your word in our hearts! In Jesus’ mighty Name. Amen.
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