Astonishing!

Matthew 7

The Sermon on the Mount

Vs. 28-29

When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching;
for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

The conclusion of this Sermon is that the people were astonished and amazed with how Jesus was instructing them. He had the authority to tell them without refering back to any other teachers. His references were to how they had understood the Law in the past, but He was presenting to them a new view. 

It was so astonishing to them, because only the Lawgiver Himself could revise and correct their understanding of how the Law actually affected them. Jesus was that Lawgiver Who had given the tablets to Moses in the first place. So He did have the authority to revise how they were to consider how the Law works. 

Being amazed and astonished is natural, but did their astonishment keep them from hearing the import of what He was saying? Did they actually listen to Him? Did they hear what they needed to do, how they were to live their lives? Jesus had told them that to hear but not do would be disastrous (v. 27). 

From then on, there were great crowds that followed Him. 

He has now laid out the program for the Kingdom of God, how it will look on this Earth when He sits on the "throne of David" and rules as the King of the World. And He attracted multitudes of people to hear Him teach. They were hungry to hear God's words, since there had been no Word from God for over 400 years. 

This Sermon has jump-started His public ministry, and He will now go about doing what the Prophets had prophesied what Messiah would do. He would spend only three years doing this as an itinerant preacher, then He will fulfill the sacrificial laws in His death. 

Since He is the One Who is the Lord God of the Old Testament, and He knew what He would do when He came to redeem us, He was able to tell the Prophets what to write, so that when He came He could prove Who He is to us. 

And He gave the Law to Moses to prepare His people to recognize the Lamb of God, and what He would accomplish as our personal Sacrifice, and as the Bread of Life, and as the Owner and Judge of us all. 

And His life and death and Resurrection proves to us that He is the One to follow, to believe, to trust, and to love. He has also revealed to us the Father and the Spirit. 

O my Father, thank You so much for loving us so much that You gave Your most Precious--Your own Son. You gave Him even before You created, knowing that we would need a Savior in order to live with You. You had it all planned out, Father; You designed it all and had all creation operate according to Your Laws. 

You decided to give us a free choice so that we could freely choose to love you back. But not all of us choose to do so. You knew this, too. But knowing this does not lesson Your great Love for us all. Your offer is still extended to every person alive. 

O Father, please continue to send out workers into Your missionary fields, to find all the lost sheep who are seeking You. You knew that I was seeking You, even though I didn't know it was You I was looking for. Now help me to be Your hands and feet to share with others Who You are and what You want to do for them, too. 

Jesus prayed three times, when He came down to actually doing it, that if it was possible for us to live with you without His suffering, to not make Him go through with it. But He knew there was no other way. He knew that this was the Plan from the get go. So He did it. He suffered for me, and for all Mankind, and for all creation. 

Jesus, You are mine and I am yours in a three-fold hold: You made me; You bought me; and You redeemed me from sin. You will do with me whatever You will, and I want You to. Because I trust You; I trust Your goodness, Your wisdom, Your authority over me. I trust that You have only my best in mind, and that You are leading me in the right way, the Righteous path, that leads to Light and Life. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!