Sermon on the Mount - Part 25

Today I want to look at verses 28-29 of chapter 7, once again focusing on who Jesus was speaking to, and on the context of the entire message.

Matthew 7:28-29

And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

I think normally I would just skip these verses, as on the surface they don't seem to add much. However, when looking at them in light of the audience and the message, I think they offer a few valuable insights.

The first thing I see is that the crowds were astonished. The masses, but perhaps not all. I see the common people being referred to hear, probably not the Jewish leaders. Rather than astonished, I see the leaders as being upset, put off, irritated. But the crowds were amazed. I think today we might say they were blown away. I have to wonder, what were they blown away by? Did they really get what Jesus was saying, or did they just sense that this was different. Surely they could tell that this Jesus was getting under the skins of the leaders. Here it is 2,000 plus years later, and I think the crowds still don't get it, so I don't think this crowd had it all figured out. But what they could see was the way that He taught. Not wishy-washy, not hesitant or deceptive, but Jesus spoke with authority. I think it is significant that it states that He did not teach like their own scribes did. This was different. 

Makes me wonder about today, and the majority of the teaching we are exposed to. How often have I walked away from a sermon being astonished? Not at the preacher, or  their eloquence, storytelling or joke telling performance, but at the Jesus being preached! (Not very often.) I read through the Sermon on the Mount, and what I don't see is a bunch of promises for a better life or advice on anything from sex to how to be a better parent or a list of behaviors that must be followed independent of the motivation that should drive those behaviors. What I do see is some statements that are challenging, statements that might go against the current status quo.  Statements so offensive, it might cause some to leave. This was not seeker friendly, feel good stuff. But there was something about this teaching. An authority that was evident. 

No apologies, not politically sensitive. Honest. Truthful. Even confrontational at times. But to be honest, Jesus didn't have to worry about losing His job if He offended someone. He only had to worry about losing His life. But that was not a concern for Him, was it?

Edited 2/14/2022