Teaching About Life, not Rules

Scripture: 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. Matthew 7:28-29

Observation: When Jesus concludes this sermon on the mount, this is what is thought of him ... his teaching is amazing, because he teaches as one with "authority", which is not how local rabbi's and pharisees teach. this generates a question about what the real difference is. We have just read how Jesus taught, so how was it different?

The answer is likely about how Jesus presented the word and then expounded upon it, not just by explaining it but taking it further and going beyond the text. Throughout the sermon, Jesus says that everyone has "heard it said" and then quotes scripture. From there, he goes beyond the scripture. Sometimes he explains what it really means, and other times he is actually going beyond the mere words to get at the heart and attitudes that required such a word of the Lord to be given in the first place. Avoiding adultery becomes a lesson about all kinds of lust; Not committing murder becomes instruction about reconciling all anger and emotional hostility; Encouraging prayer turns into a lesson about how and where to pray, because non-performative praying conveys your true heart to the Lord.

And how did rabbis teach? We don't have much evidence, but we know they often read from the scriptures - not from memory, but opening the scroll and reading in order to get it word-for-word accurate - and then spoke briefly on the meaning of the words. They would have adhered closely to the idea of avoiding adding anything to the Lord's word, and thus would never have expounded on the underlying meaning of scripture. As individuals who led public compliance with the Law, and perhaps had their lives sustained by people needing to interact with the Lord through the synagogue as assisted by the rabbi, they absolutely would not have taught about having a private relationship with the Lord.

In other words, they likely taught about "compliance" with the word of the Lord through scripted actions performed daily or regularly, and stopped short of "application" of how the word should define every action in one's normal everyday life activities. 

Application: This remains the challenge for me and most Christians ... allowing the Lord to drive my thoughts and actions every day, in everything, all the time. I always pray before meals and attend church on Sunday morning. I try more and more to pray other times, have some meditation or worship some days, and (of course) do a daily devotion. However, I still fall short of making God part of absolutely everything, like praying before meetings, seeking the Holy Spirit for guidance at work, or meditating on his word (instead of playing a game on my phone) during downtime.

Jesus' teaching with "authority" meant that his teaching was telling people how to live within the spirit and context of the Lord's word, not how to comply with the rules as explicitly outlined in the Lord's word. Obeying his teaching improves life, not just defines procedures.

Prayer: Lord, I want an amazing life, and I know that is available to me when I live a life that is aligned to your teaching every moment of every day. May I seek your will today in all actions and activities, and explicitly interact with you in all matters. Amen.