Teachings of Jesus Muestra

His Own Authority

The Sermon on the Mount is considered one of Jesus’ earliest and most outstanding collections of teachings. It includes the Lord’s Prayer, the Beatitudes, and a host of other familiar sayings and parables.

But the most essential part of the Sermon is not what it says. Matthew notes that the first reaction to this set of teachings was amazement that Jesus was saying these things on His authority. Why were Jesus’ listeners surprised at this claim?

Whenever the scribes taught, they appealed to the highest authority to substantiate the truth of what they said. Rabbis would often provide lengthy genealogies—lists of their past teachers—to support what they taught. They appealed to others. In contrast, throughout this sermon, Jesus appealed to the highest Authority there ever was—Himself. He was God in the flesh, the divinity in human form. Every single time He said, “But I say to you…”, it was a theological thunderclap. Yet He told it fourteen times!

Jesus entered the scene as a type of Moses. He was a Second Moses like He was a Second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:47). He was teaching on a mountain; Moses received the tablets on Mount Sinai. But Moses was an intermediary between God and humans; Jesus was both a human Intermediary as well as God Himself. Instead of writing on tablets of stone, He writes His Word in our hearts.

As we march through the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount, do not forget the incredible claim Jesus made concerning His authority. If Jesus expected His listeners to pay attention to His words because of His authority, how much more should we pay attention to Him, not just in this sermon but also in our whole lives! Jesus was not just a messenger; He was the Author. He humbled himself and became a human being so we might know what is true, and more importantly so that we might know Him who is the Truth.

Jesus, please help us to recognize and obey You as the supreme Authority in our lives.