Matthew 7:28-29 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.
The authority of institutions, along with their reputation flowing their institutional functions, are key to the functioning of societies. When the population doesn’t trust its public and governmental authorities, that society is in trouble. If the people don’t believe that those leading them have integrity personally and in the execution of their public duties, the people lose faith in their ability and right to lead them.
Fortunately, we live in a republic, where we are allowed to choose our leaders. Even as flawed as elections can be, we at least have the opportunity to choose. So many around the world don’t have this opportunity. Meaningful self-government is a principle worth fighting for in our time.
We read this amazing text today and it opens up our minds and hearts. Even in Jesus’ day, there were many who didn’t trust their leaders. Their words didn’t match their actions. Sound familiar?
It can be easy to get into a position of power and then let it go to your head. You can begin to think that you know better because the people elevated you to the position of power. But then your actions don’t catch up to your rhetoric. You get caught with your mask off, so to speak.
And this true for all of us. Remember the first Beatitude Jesus spoke. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Humility is the bedrock of a relationship with God and with others. We must learn to take a lower position instead of insisting on our rights.
It is the crowds that see and are willing to call out the leaders. And that is exactly what happens when Jesus pulls up his pulpit and speaks on that mountainside. What Jesus says makes sense to those who hear.
What Jesus has said in this extended lesson is profound and yet fairly easy to understand. Throughout most of it, the crowds would have been saying to themselves, “That’s right!” There would have been some “Ouch” and “Yikes” thrown in, but they would have been able to hear the simple message and know what was expected of them.
This was not the case with those in authority over them at that time in history. The layers of laws piled up upon the laws in the Old Testament by these leaders made it impossible for any ordinary person to be in compliance with the requirements they set forth. No one but the most elite could do it.
But Jesus comes along and pulls back the curtain on what it looks like to really obey the LORD. The layers of hypocrisy get slashed. Jesus gets into the meat of the matter. And the people understand what He says!
Jesus didn’t need to footnote His teaching. He had no need to quote other people to support or defend what He said. He was the authority embodied and living. He could speak authoritatively about God’s desires because He was God! He know the intent of the LORD, because the LORD’s heart was His heart.
It is as if Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and George Washington were alive today and we were able to ask them about their intent in writing the words of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Areas that seem fuzzy could be cleared up by a conversation with them. We would understand what they meant back then, and then we could ask them how those same things could be applied in our modern context.
Jesus has that ability. He knows God’s intention and is able to put it into language even the crowds could understand. He spoke with clarity. Let’s not make understanding what He said more difficult than it has to be.
The Arnold Journey 