Monday, March 15, 2010
Matthew 7:28-29 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
THEY GOT IT: THE HEARERS OF JESUS
I like to tease my two oldest daughters. They're still pretty young, kindergarten and second grade. As we sit around the dinner table at night they ask lots of questions about the world. Sometimes I answer with a straight and serious face, but in a silly way.
"Dad, how do they know how much weight the bridge can hold?"
"Well, after it's built they send heavier and heavier trucks across it until it breaks, then they rebuild it exactly the way it was before."
"No, Dad. You're joking. I can tell by your voice."
I used to be able to get one past them once in a while. Now, not so much. They're learning to hear when something rings true, and when it doesn't.
When the people heard Jesus preach his Sermon on the Mount, they recognized the ring of truth. Jesus was interpreting the Old Testament Scriptures much differently than other religious teachers. But Jesus spoke with confidence, and that wasn't all. He spoke the truth, and they could tell.
In the Gospel of John, John says that he wrote what he did so that people might believe that Jesus is the Savior sent from God, and that they might, through that faith, have eternal life (John 20:31). In Paul's letter to the Roman Christians, Paul says that faith comes by hearing the truth expressed by God in His Word (Romans 10:17).
I get it. I mean, I believe that Jesus is the reason my sins have been forgiven by God. But doubts still poke and prod at my faith. This week, as we get closer and closer to Good Friday and Easter, I'd like to concentrate on people who got it--people who came into contact with Jesus and heard the truth loud and clear. May their testimony help us to "get it" too.
