28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.REFLECTIONSWritten by Tara SingJesus has just said some very hard to hear things on the mountainside. He has shown people they are far more sinful than they realised. He has called people to an obedience greater than they previously imagined. He has not just explained the laws of the Old Testament that they were so familiar with, he's expounded upon them in a way that cuts to the heart of every listener. Matthew wants us to notice that Jesus is a very different teacher to the religious leaders of the time. The teachers of the law had a reputation for publicly preaching rules and privately disregarding them. Later on in this gospel, Jesus points out that these teachers of the law are constantly making up excuses and trying to find loopholes in obeying God's word. In contrast to these teachers, when Jesus talks to the crowds, his words have authority. We are in an even better position than the crowds to understand just what authority Jesus had. We know that the words he spoke are the words of God, because he was sent to earth as the living Word. We also know that everything Jesus said, he lived. He prayed for his enemies while he hung on the cross. His focus was always on heavenly things and the work of God. This was very different to the teachers of the law, who spent most of their time plotting to kill Jesus.As I read these two verses, I reflect on my own reaction to Jesus. It's easy to read the words of Matthew 5-7 without really hearing them, because they have become too familiar. Sometimes I am complacent about these chapters. How often do I react like the crowds, "amazed at his teaching"? Let’s pray that we would never lose amazement at the words of Jesus. Give thanks for the way he teaches us to understand God's law, and knowing that we could never obey the depths of it perfectly, let’s praise God that he has done this for us.ABOUT THE AUTHORTara goes to the Bossley Park 10:30am congregation, married to Daniel, mum to Maxine, and is always happy to show you pictures of her dog, Lucy.