Scripture: 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, 29 because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
Observation: Jesus’ authority shone through. When the sermon concluded, the difference between Himself and the religious teachers of the day was clear.
The phrase that grabs me is “the crowds were amazed at His teaching.”
“the crowds” - Where did they come from anyway? We forget by the time we finish these three chapters, but that’s not how it started. Matthew 5:1-2 introduces the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7) like this: “Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.” Jesus seems to have withdrawn a bit from the crowds, then, surrounded only by His disciples, He begins to teach them. That’s how the narration reads without visions of artwork dancing in our heads with the crowds already there. If we take 5:1-2 as the beginning scene and 7:28-29 as the concluding scene, what we then see is crowds gathering and building over the course of the Sermon. Jesus’ teaching is going viral! People follow a friend, hear Jesus speaking, and draw closer to listen to Him.
“were amazed at His teaching” - The Sermon is challenging, convicting, perhaps sometimes confusing. And it is altogether amazing. Amazement is a wonderful comment on Jesus’ teaching and on the scriptures in general. Application is vital, as we see in the verses that conclude the Sermon and remind us to put it into practice. Amazement, awe, and wonder are appropriate responses to divine wisdom.
Application:
Which of Jesus teachings in the Sermon on the Mount amaze you?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, I find myself “lost in wonder, love, and praise” at the majesty of your wisdom. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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There is so much in the Sermon that I find amazing; the way Jesus interprets the laws is quite challenging and gives the reader/listener much to think about. But as I reread chapters 5-7, the beatitudes really stood out to me as particularly amazing. What our culture says are blessings is so different from what Jesus says. It makes me reflect on my life and consider what my true blessings are.
Jesus taught the disciples to seek the path towards perfection and the Kingdom of God. For us, it teaches that as God’s children, we need to fashion ourselves in God’s image according to Jesus’ teachings.
This is my favorite stanza of Charles Wesley’s Love Devine, All Loves Excelling:
Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit
Into every troubled breast;
Let us all in Thee inherit,
Let us find the promised rest.
Take away the love of sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
End of faith, as its beginning,
Set our hearts at liberty.