Astonished!
Scripture: Matthew 7:28-29 (ESV)
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Devotion:
The scripture above comes at the end of the sermon on the mount. The gospels record 14 other times after Jesus finished teaching his hearers were reported to be astonished, and another 11 times they were reported to be amazed. Jesus was an excellent teacher. How many teachers labor day after day in their classrooms and no one is amazed or astonished by their efforts? How many pastors and teachers work hard to produce sermons and messages that leave no one amazed or astonished?
One thing Jesus had was a habit of healing people and then turning that moment into a teachable moment. Today’s church leaders lack the power to do the same. But Matthew in the scripture above declares that Jesus taught with authority. Jesus did not need to appeal to any higher authority to validate his teaching. The teaching he gave to the people was original and authentic. It was “God breathed” full of spiritual power. It was as if the people could tell Jesus was speaking the very word of God.
Can any mere mortal preacher or teacher speak and teach with the same authority that Jesus did to amaze crowds? If Acts supplies any hints yes, we can preach and teach in ways that amaze or astonish the faithful. For recorded in the book of Acts the crowds were amazed or astonished another 11 times. And I do not think that that the Apostles possessed some power or grace that we do not have access to here in the 21st century.
We need to remember that Jesus and the Apostles did not use elaborate staging and visual and audio effects to wow the crowds. They taught the simple word of God plain and unadorned. In today’s church many have come to rely on these gimmicks to impress the audience. In some churches there is truly little difference between Sunday worship and a stage play you might see in some other venue. God’s word is astonishing on its own.
The church today needs to regain its sense of awe and wonder at the hearing of God’s word being proclaimed. Our preachers and teachers need to bathe each message with prayer and preparation. While the congregation must also be bathed in prayer and preparation to hear the word and receive it with joy and wonder. We need to pray that God’s Spirit would fall on God’s churches again. So that our ministries will again astonish the watching world and draw them into worship again.
Prayer:
Father in heaven help us to receive from you the capacity to be in awe and wonder at your word spoken and preached. Grant us a fresh filling with your Spirit that we may change the world for you. Help us to resist the devil’s temptation to simply put on a show. Empower us to let our words and deeds be done in your name and for your glory, so that the world may know there is a God in heaven. Amen
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