Matthew 7:28-29
For he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. – Matthew 7:29
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Jesus has just finished the long and searching sermon on the mount. He has spoken about anger, about lust, about money, about worry, about judging others, about prayer. He has told us to love our enemies. He has warned us against building our lives on sand. It has been a lot to take in.
And now Matthew tells us how the crowd responded. They were astonished! Something about the way Jesus spoke left a deep mark on them. And Matthew tells us why. It was because Jesus taught them “as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.” The scribes were the trained religious teachers of the day. When they taught, they quoted earlier rabbis. They built their case on tradition, on what had been said before. That was how authority worked. You earned it by standing on the shoulders of others.
Jesus did not do this. Again and again in this sermon, he said, “You have heard that it was said… but I say to you.” He did not need to quote anyone else. His words carried their own weight. Jesus was not offering opinions for people to weigh. He was speaking as someone who knew exactly who he was and the authority he carried.
This is really the question the whole Sermon on the Mount leaves us with. Not just “what should I do with my life”, but “who is this man who dares to speak this way.” A wise teacher tells you how to live better. Jesus told the crowd that their eternal destiny would depend on whether they built their lives on his words. That is not the kind of thing a normal teacher says.
For those of us who have followed Jesus for many years, this is a good moment to check ourselves. Have we quietly turned Jesus into just one more source of good advice, someone we consult when convenient and set aside when his words are inconvenient? The crowd was astonished because they sensed they were in the presence of someone greater than a teacher. Do we still feel that sense of wonder, or has familiarity dulled it?
For those younger in the faith, or still weighing who Jesus is, this passage is an honest invitation. You do not need to master all the fine details of the sermon first. You simply need to ask the same question the crowd asked. Who is this, that he speaks this way? The answer to that question changes everything else.
Reflection:
When was the last time Jesus’ words genuinely surprised you or unsettled you?
Do you relate to Jesus mainly as good advice, or as someone with real authority over your life?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for speaking to us with such authority and such love. Forgive us for the times we have treated your words as merely helpful suggestions rather than the truth we must build our lives on. Renew in us the wonder the crowd felt on that hillside. Give us grace to hear your words and to actually do them. In your name we pray. Amen
Click to read passage
Jesus has just finished the long and searching sermon on the mount. He has spoken about anger, about lust, about money, about worry, about judging others, about prayer. He has told us to love our enemies. He has warned us against building our lives on sand. It has been a lot to take in.
And now Matthew tells us how the crowd responded. They were astonished! Something about the way Jesus spoke left a deep mark on them. And Matthew tells us why. It was because Jesus taught them “as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.” The scribes were the trained religious teachers of the day. When they taught, they quoted earlier rabbis. They built their case on tradition, on what had been said before. That was how authority worked. You earned it by standing on the shoulders of others.
Jesus did not do this. Again and again in this sermon, he said, “You have heard that it was said… but I say to you.” He did not need to quote anyone else. His words carried their own weight. Jesus was not offering opinions for people to weigh. He was speaking as someone who knew exactly who he was and the authority he carried.
This is really the question the whole Sermon on the Mount leaves us with. Not just “what should I do with my life”, but “who is this man who dares to speak this way.” A wise teacher tells you how to live better. Jesus told the crowd that their eternal destiny would depend on whether they built their lives on his words. That is not the kind of thing a normal teacher says.
For those of us who have followed Jesus for many years, this is a good moment to check ourselves. Have we quietly turned Jesus into just one more source of good advice, someone we consult when convenient and set aside when his words are inconvenient? The crowd was astonished because they sensed they were in the presence of someone greater than a teacher. Do we still feel that sense of wonder, or has familiarity dulled it?
For those younger in the faith, or still weighing who Jesus is, this passage is an honest invitation. You do not need to master all the fine details of the sermon first. You simply need to ask the same question the crowd asked. Who is this, that he speaks this way? The answer to that question changes everything else.
Reflection:
When was the last time Jesus’ words genuinely surprised you or unsettled you?
Do you relate to Jesus mainly as good advice, or as someone with real authority over your life?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for speaking to us with such authority and such love. Forgive us for the times we have treated your words as merely helpful suggestions rather than the truth we must build our lives on. Renew in us the wonder the crowd felt on that hillside. Give us grace to hear your words and to actually do them. In your name we pray. Amen