No Man Ever Spoke Like This!

John 7.

The Pharisees were worried.

Could this have possibly been the One they had been waiting for?  The predicted One.

He had told them that He was.
“Yes, you know Me, and you know where I come from.”  He told them.  (7:28)

They knew about this One to come, but not the One from where He had come.
“The One who sent Me is true, and you don’t know Him.”  (7:29)

And it’s true they didn’t know Him.

And now they feared that this One who called Himself the, “Messiah”, was gaining ground for His cause by the Authority from which He spoke.
“Many among the crowds at the Temple believed in Him.”  (7:31)

So the concerned cynics attempted an arrest.
“When the Pharisees heard that the crowds were whispering, the leading priests sent Temple Guards to arrest Him.”  (7:32)

And it’s important to note here that these “Temple Guards” referred to were not just some men sent at random… they were hand-picked officers.  The best of the best.  The strongest, the most skillful, and the ones clothed with authority and strictly commanded to bring Jesus in to be judged.

So you can imagine the surprise when the men returned without their subject.
“When the Temple Guards returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees demanded, ‘Why didn’t you bring Him in?’”  (7:45)

And the words of the men may have even surprised themselves.
“‘We have never heard anyone speak like this!’ the guards responded.”  (7:46)

Ahh, yes.  Jesus.  The master Teacher.

My commentary says this, “They were so impressed and awed with what He said that they dared not take Him.  His speaking had so much evidence of truth, so much proof that He was from God, and was so impressive and persuasive, that they were convinced of His innocence, and they dared not take Him to execute their commission.”

And I thought, instantly, about a note I have on my bulletin board in front of my office desk.  “Live in such a way, that if anyone speaks badly of you, nobody would believe it.”

It’s how Jesus spoke.
With authority.
With love.
With sincerity.
With innocence.
With wisdom.
With personal experience.
With faithfulness.
With grace and mercy.
With power.
With sympathy.
With conviction.

And as our Rabbi… our Teacher… we are to model His behavior.  Reproduce His lifestyle.  Demonstrate His demeanor.

Does the way we speak to others illustrate innocence?
Does the way we communicate Jesus to a fallen world reflect our reverence of the One we claim to follow?
Does our cross-carrying conduct attract others to His redemption and persuade them to receive salvation for themselves?

It matters.

Our words matter.
Our actions matter.
Both have a powerful impact on the credibility of a Savior who died for them too.