July 28, 2014

Matthew 7:28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching

The word for amazed here in the original language of the bible is defined as “to strike out of, hence, to strike out of one’s wits.” It is passive here so it means the crowds were the ones being struck. In contemporary English I guess we could say they were “knocked upside the head,” “stunned,” “dazed.” When is the last time you were so struck by something that you just sat speechless with your mouth hanging open? That’s the picture here. So much of religion has come into our culture as obligation. These words of Jesus are supposed to introduce us to something amazing. In their ads a few years ago the car company asked us, “Have you driven a Ford lately?” the idea being that we would be amazed at the changes. Many of us have grown cynical, especially with religious things. When I read the Sermon on the Mount (this verse is what concludes that teaching) and think what a world, or even a small community, living out these words would be like, I still get that spark of amazement. What will amaze you this week? Where do the words of Jesus fit in?