When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
When Jesus clambered down the hillside after delivering the final words of His sermon, we can feel the silence envelop him. All those eyes and ears that had been challenged to a radically new way of living in the Kingdom of Heaven heard and saw the quiet as well. There was nothing further to be said, His authority had been so complete that the people were amazed. What must have run through their minds? Were they angry at having been deceived by their teachers, who said one thing and did another?
Our meditation today on the Cross, where Jesus gave the greatest sacrifice for all of humankind, points us back through the whole of the Sermon on the Mount. Just as He lived out John 15:12-13, His ministry leading up to the cross gave example to all of the words of His sermon. Are you and I able to say the same thing? Our belief governs our actions and our trust in Jesus and His promises drive how radically we live out our vocation.
This is a somber day, marked by the candle being extinguished and the darkness instantly surrounding us, but it is not a day without hope. Sunday is coming…
LOVE | ACCEPT | FORGIVE 