MORNING DEW
Key Passage: John 7: 40-52
Key Word: John 7:46 – “No one ever spoke like this man.”
I was really captured by the statement by these officers that were sent to arrest Jesus by the Pharisees. It has a certain depth about it, that I chose to explore it in my blog today. I hope you enjoy it.
History is replete of great orators. Some great thinkers. Some who left great imprints on the sands of time. Some readily come to mind; Pericles, Demosthenes, Alexander the great, William Wilberforce, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Mohandas Gandhi, John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King jnr etc. All these great humans who have used their words and deeds to shape history all pale into insignificance when compared to the way Jesus spoke and acted. His words and deeds are unmatched in the entire history of mankind. but today I want to focus on how He spoke.
No one ever spoke like this man.
First, let us examine content. All these men and women spoke with some level of conviction and authority about subjects they were somewhat sure about. They tried to examine the human heart and use their gift of oration to shape the human heart and stir the emotions, so leaving their hearers with a profound sense of awe. But Jesus spoke with absolute authority on subjects He had absolute knowledge of, into hearts that were moulded and created by His Omnipotent hands, leaving His hearers with no doubt that God had just spoken. Just examine the great sermon on the mount of Matthew 5,6&7. “And he came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the sabbath day: and they were astonished at his teaching; for his word was with authority”.
No man ever spoke like this man.
Second Let’s consider delivery; Great orators had something in common. They had so mastered their craft that they could hold their audiences attention, leading them with every word they spoke and skilfully landing them at their desired destination. Though all of them without exception could never guarantee the outcome of their speeches. Jesus never spoke to convince or persuade anyone. He was not using a craft, even though the best orators can lean from his delivery. His tone was pitch perfect, His poise was exact and His length was precise. In delivering His discourses, He wrote those words on hearts of clay. His words gave life. His words empowered. His words brought the dead back to life. His words healed, delivered and saved. He never said more than He should have said and He never said less than He should had said. His speech is perfect. “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
No man ever spoke like this man.
Lastly let us examine profundity, durability and truth. The great orators, sages and thinkers of history all postulated, hypothesised and theorised, but some even in their lifetime had their principles debunked and crushed. Some after they passed on, time rendered their carefully crafted positions obsolete. Some of the positions of these great humans were found to be inadequate to deal with successive generational requirements and as such, became confined in libraries as relics of a glorious past. But not Jesus. His words were the deepest any man ever spoke. He went straight to the heart of the issue and left no one in doubt that there were to be no more equivocations. His words have transcended eons, generations, and kingdoms. They have reverberated through history and continue unbroken, uncontested and unalloyed. His words stand and will stand forever. Whilst some have been found to be liars and manipulators, Jesus spoke the truth. Not some truth, but absolute truth. His words are the measure and plumb of truth. There is no truth outside what He said and all truth must converge in Him. He spoke the TRUTH. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”
No one ever spoke like this man.
After all the voices through the ages have been stilled and all that is left is silence. One voice will still be heard. One Person will still be Speaking. No one will ever speak like Him. He is the FINAL WORD!
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
No one ever spoke like this man.
Let Us Pray: Father please grant us the heart to understand that your word is final and that no thought of man, no matter how lofty can ever compare to the excellence of your word. Lord we bow and receive your word and celebrate your Son Jesus Christ, the very Word of God. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.