“28And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.” – Matthew 7:28-29 (ESV)
What does it look and feel like when someone speaks from authority? They know. They have a deep understanding. There is a confidence. They won’t lean on someone else’s words.
The scribes of the day were those that relayed information from one place to another. They had some knowledge of what they were speaking, only that knowledge was limited to what they were told or knew from someone else.
Even today, pastors speak from what they have learned from others. They study to know and can quote those others with confidence. But do they really speak from authority? I will say when we, as a family have been in a position to find a new church, it takes a while. We start with those places that are popular and where everyone goes to listen to the charismatic, to the crowd draw. We end up at the church where the pastor is humbled by God’s authority and gives glory to Him. We seek to get our learning from God and not the man in the pulpit.
Jesus knew. He did not quote others, unless He was demonstrating the accuracy of the prophetic words. He did not lean on the teaching of others, He spoke the truth and from the first person, because he was there.
Jesus spoke as one who had authority, because he was the authority. He was a part of the original prophetic statements he quoted to demonstrate their accuracy. He did not lean on the teachings of others, He was the one they taught about.
When we seek to know, where is it that we go for that knowledge? Are we going to those with second, third, or down the line information? Are we going to the authority, Jesus?
Trevor's Thoughts 