Day 6 · Week 1
Passage: Matthew 7:28–29; John 7:45–46
Memory Verse: Matthew 7:24
Matthew 7:28–29 (KJV)
“And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”
At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, the crowd was astonished.
They had heard religious teachers before. But there was something different about Jesus.
Matthew says He taught “as one having authority.”
Jesus did not merely explain what other teachers had said. Again and again in the sermon He says things such as, “But I say unto you.”
He speaks with the authority of the Son of God.
On another occasion, officers were sent to arrest Jesus. They returned without Him. When asked why, they simply answered:
“Never man spake like this man.” — John 7:46
Jesus is more than a wise teacher, but He certainly is our Teacher.
And He does something no ordinary teacher can do.
He not only tells us what a righteous life looks like; He lived that life perfectly. He shows us mercy because He is merciful. He tells us to love our enemies after loving His own enemies. He tells us to forgive while offering forgiveness to sinners.
Everything Jesus teaches ultimately points us back to who He is.
That is why we can trust Him.
What makes Jesus different from every other teacher who has ever lived?
Say this week's memory verse together:
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:” — Matthew 7:24
Thank Jesus for teaching us the truth and for perfectly living what He taught.