“And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”
7:28
And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings,
Matthew indicated the effect that Jesus’ first discourse, the Sermon on the Mount, had on its hearers.
that the people were astonished at His teaching,
The people who listened to the Sermon on the Mount were “astonished” at His revolutionary teaching.
7:29
for He taught them as one having authority,
There was something distinctive about the authority of Jesus’ teaching. Jesus did not repeat the teaching of others; He spoke from His own authority.
and not as the scribes.
A scribe was a lawyer or a teacher of the law. He administered the law of the Sanhedrin. The scribes checked with the opinions of previous authorities and never came to a final conclusion. Jesus’ word was final and finished in authority from truth.
PRINCIPLE:
Jesus is the Great Unlike.
APPLICATION:
Jesus is the Great Unlike. We often forget how special He was and is.
