And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Matthew 7:28-29

The Sermon on the Mount (SotM) concludes with 7:27. But Matthew added an all-important footnote in (v.28-29). Let me share a couple of insights into this epilog:

The people were astonished by Jesus and this most important sermon. There are many things about the Sermon that no doubt shook the people who heard it. Jesus spoke about many things, even though touching each issue somewhat briefly. But according to Matthew, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, what astonished them most was the authority with which Jesus spoke.

Is that because the Jewish religious leaders did not speak with authority? Heavens no! They were very authoritative, especially when it came to brow-beating God’s people with their take on (and many additions to) God’s law. They were authoritative in condemning sinners and in exalting themselves as the most righteous of all people. Read the gospels and tell me they did not speak authoritatively!

But Jesus spoke with a different kind of authority. Old Testament prophets were accustomed to saying: “Thus says the LORD.” The common manner of Pharisaical teaching was to cite prophets and other teachers, which is why in the SotM, Jesus said: “You have heard it said,” referring to exalted teachers quoting each other. They did this to feign having authority.

Compare that with Jesus, who said “You have heard it said, BUT I SAY!” Jesus did not have to cite other experts to inflate the importance of His words. He didn’t even speak like the prophets who said, “Thus says the LORD!” NO! He said, “I SAY!” By doing this, Jesus was not only claiming the authority of His words. By saying, “But I Say,” He was claiming to BE THE LORD! That being true, what higher authority could there possibly be?

One last observation: Many of us have Bibles in which the words of Jesus are printed in red. There is nothing wrong with that. It can be helpful to quickly identify the actual words Jesus spoke. But it can also be unhelpful if we assign the words in red as having more authority than the rest of the Bible. Why? Because, “All Scripture [every word in the entire Bible] is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Let us hear and heed every one of the supremely authoritative words of God Almighty that make up the Bible!