About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.
For all of their lives Jewish people went to the temple and heard their leaders teach them primarily about the law of Moses, the prophets and their own interpretations of those scriptures. Jesus' teaching was so different from the status quo. I wonder if the religious teaching was very similar to what you hear today where a teacher reads and interprets the scriptures for the unlearned? Hearing Jesus must have been so refreshing as he generally taught using stories (i.e. parables) that even children could understand.
Yet not only was his method different but his message radically departed from the leaders of that day. Instead of teaching people to follow the letter of the law he spoke to them about the spirit of the law. The sermon on the mount stands as the greatest sermon of all time because it focused on the internal, rather than the external, aspects of what it means to follow God. Jesus' teaching was so radically different because it revealed the heart of the Father and His pursuit of our hearts - with love front and center.
Help me to not seek my own glory today Lord. Guide me in ways that honor and glorify you.
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