Reacting to How Jesus Taught - 10/22/2023

Matthew records three reactions of the crowd as to how Jesus taught. They felt amazed, they witnessed He taught with authority, and they could see He taught differently than the scribes (Matthew 7:28, 29).

Their emotional response could have been because they were very surprised Jesus would say such things in a speech. They were astonished, maybe even “blown away,” by how direct He was with His information.

Possibly hearing the tone of His voice and observing the confidence displayed by His body language, they could determine He was speaking as one with authority. As the crowd intellectually analyzed His message, they correctly perceived it was different from what they were accustomed to hearing from the scribes. Jesus was not quoting some other scribe, but He was presenting what He received directly from God.

As readers of the Bible, especially the teaching of Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament, we need to have the same emotional and intellectual reactions. Amazement needs to feel our hearts when we hear or read the Bible. We need to use our minds to analyze the message presented to see if it is in harmony with the teachings of the Bible.

But, on a more practical level, when we hear a recorded sermon (audio only or video included), a podcast, a radio program, or even a presentation in person, we will react to the message. The question is, how will we react to the message and the messenger?

While the messenger enjoys seeing and hearing the positive responses from the audience to the message presented, the question must be asked, what about the message itself? What will be our reaction to the message?

After we have listened intently with a mindset to understand what is being presented, do we reflect on the message and compare the message with the Bible? While some will say the preacher spoke from the Bible, does His message teach what Jesus and His apostles taught? That is something the listener must determine. If it does, what will the reader do with the message? What will be his reaction to the message?

More importantly, how will we react to what Jesus taught? Everyone will have a reaction. What choice will we make? What type of tree will we be? Which path will we take? What foundation will we use to build our lives?

If our decision is to be a good tree, take the narrow way, and build our lives on a rock foundation, then we will be obedient to the message Jesus taught. Human observers of our lives, as well as God, will be able to testify, we are truly living God’s way. - cgm

Scriptural quotations from the NASB1995.