4:31,32
Jesus went on to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and He taught them on the Sabbath. The Sabbath was the day they expected to be taught about God. All the gospels put a great emphasis on teaching, as did Jesus Himself. Teaching is a vital aspect of ministry. We need to learn.
“And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word possessed authority”. Now at one level it is not surprising that Jesus’ teaching possessed authority, for He was the Son of God, He should know what He is talking about! But this was in stark contrast to much of the teaching they normally received. Our teaching too should possess authority. None of us are Jesus and we will not reach the heights He did, but there should be at least something of His authority in our teaching. So where did this authority come from? Why were the people able to recognise it? There are a number of key elements. Perhaps the most important is His relationship with the Father. We need to develop our relationship with the Lord. Secondly, He lived a life of faith and obedience. We will not be perfect, but there should be some integrity about our lives, there should be some consistency between our teaching and our living. Thirdly, He knew and respected the Word of God. We are here to teach God’s word, not our own imaginations. Finally, He had a genuine concern for the people. We should seek to improve and develop in all of these areas, then our teaching will improve as well.
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