And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and
-Mark 1:22
not as the scribes.
Jesus was not the first person to teach the Scriptures to a group of disciples. The people in
Jesus’ day had heard other teachers of the Scriptures. What set Jesus apart was that He
taught with authority. To many of the scribes, the Scriptures were meaningless, dry collections
of theological speculation, but Jesus taught them as the living words of God. John the Baptist
claimed that a man could only receive that which had been given to him by God (John 3:27).
When the religious leaders searched the Scriptures, they came away empty-handed. When
Jesus read the same Scriptures, the Father gave Him a full measure of His wisdom and His
authority.
There is a radical difference between practicing religion and sharing a word directly from the
Lord. There is a significant difference between worldly reasoning and counsel that comes
straight from the living Word of God. Is it possible to teach a message from the Bible but not
from the Lord? Yes! The scribes and Pharisees did this regularly and left their listeners
spiritually destitute. Is it possible to counsel someone with advice that seems appropriate and
reasonable and yet is contrary to God’s Word? Of course!
Whenever you teach, counsel, or share a word of encouragement, be very careful that the
words you share are indeed from the Lord and are not just your own thinking. Otherwise, you
could become a false prophet (Deut. 18:20–22). God promises to stand by every word He has
ever spoken (Isa. 55:10–11). When you share a word that has come from God, you can do so
with utmost confidence!
— Pastor Mark