Mat 7:28-29 "And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."
Throughout the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of Matthew, Jesus taught His followers about what it meant to be disciples. He taught that we are blessed when we find ourselves in difficult circumstances. He taught that our thoughts and attitudes carried the weight of God’s judgement just as much as our actions. He taught that seeking God and His kingdom first was the answer to want.
The phrase “it came to pass” means that it was “caused to be.” Jesus, by revealing a deeper look into the things of the Father, caused the people to be astonished at His teaching. When the Holy Spirit reveals in us the truth of who God is and what He has done, we are still struck with amazement today. After many years of knowing that Jesus is our Saviour, it still has the power to strike me with astonishment that He would pay such a price for someone like me.
I recently heard an excerpt from a sermon that was preached by Alistair Begg, who lives in Scotland. He was preaching about the grace of God that allowed the thief on the cross to be with Jesus in paradise. In his analogy, he presented it as though the thief was being questioned by one of the angels about how he came to be there. The thief answered, “The man on the middle cross said I could.”
He teaches with authority! How can we who are sinners by nature be disciples of the only begotten Son of God? Because He said we could. How can we love our enemies? Because He said we could. How can we seek the things of God first in our lives? Because He said we could!
Dear ones, the authority of our Jesus makes the kingdom of heaven possible. The authority of our Jesus makes a life of love and service possible. The authority of our Jesus makes us accepted before the Father’s throne. He alone has caused these things to be, and He alone deserves ALL the glory!