He's different

Our passage this week comes from the very end of the account of the "Sermon on the Mount" where Jesus spoke to a crowd of thousands of ordinary people on a hillside. Just like you might see in church, after he had finished talking you see the people discussing to each other about what they have just seen.

As we see from these two verses, their reaction was total amazement. The sermon that they had just seen was nothing like anything they had seen before. It was in a totally different league to what they were used to hearing in the Temple.

So was this just because Jesus was just a particularly gifted speaker? Was it just because his jokes and anecdotes were better than their regular leader, who they listened to week in week out? No. Was it because his PowerPoint was flasher, or his showmanship was grander than the others they had seen? Again no, there was more to it than that.

Jesus's teaching was different because his teaching was full of life and authority, rather than just reciting the dry and dusty law. Jesus went beyond talking about the desires and plans of God and reciting a list of dos and don'ts. He didn't just give examples of how people could live the life that God intended, he lived it out. He was the example.

The crowd could see something different in Jesus, they could see that he was living a life that was genuine, a life filled with purpose. A life lived with authority from God, a life that was exciting. A life that was more than just following the rules but following God's heart.

This week what are you going to do to make those around you stop and think "wow that's different". How are you going to live to make sure that you don't just know that God has a plan and authority for you, but instead live it out to the full? Have a great week.

Header image by: Big Stock Photo