At the time of Christ, the scribes and rabbis did most of the teaching of the Scriptures. The rabbis and scribes never ventured to say anything without giving the authority of some earlier rabbi. They did not like to give judgments based on their own thinking, but on the thinking of others who had lived before.
It was looked upon badly among themselves to give any hint or suspicion that they were giving their own decision on any matter. No address of any rabbi had any value without the superstitious addition of something like, “Thus say the wise.”
It is told of Hillel, the great rabbi, that on one occasion, he discoursed on a certain matter all day long, but the people refused to receive his teaching until he added, “So I heard from Shemaia and Abtalion.”
Jesus did not teach like this. He many times taught using the phrase, “I say.” In Matthew 5-7, Christ gave the lesson known as the Sermon on the Mount. You can read those chapters and see that several times Jesus used the phrase, ” I say.” Jesus could use this phrase because he was the Son of God. He was God. He spoke the very words of God.
In Matthew 7:28-29, we come to the close of the sermon. We read that the people were astonished at his doctrine because he did not teach like the scribes. Jesus taught as one having authority. Since he was neither a rabbi nor a scribe, this was even more impressive. He was willing to go against peer pressure and teach the truth without worrying about what the scribes and rabbis would think.
I am thankful that Jesus was willing to come to earth for us. I am thankful that he was willing to stand up and teach the truth. I am thankful that he was willing to withstand peer pressure. I am thankful that he loved us enough to die for us.
Keep studying your Bible. Learn all you can from the One who was willing and able to say, “I say.” And if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
