I am a Jesus pusher!! “You have heard it said to those of old . . . But I say to you” (Matthew 5:21-22). A mission statement of the past generation was, “You and I have no right to hear the Gospel message again until every man in the world has heard it at least once. We have heard it more than our share compared to those who have never heard it. But God is so gracious and merciful to us. To all spoken in the past, Jesus added, “But I say to you!” Jesus has “Authoritative Speaking.” The Greek word (lego) translated as “I say” is one word. However, Jesus added the Greek word “ego,” translated as “I,” giving a double emphasis on the word “I.”
Jesus now gives the proper explanation of the Scriptures. The “Fulfillment of the Kingdom, Acknowledged” (Matthew 5:17-20) provides the significance of this statement. Jesus does not discard the Scriptures. He fulfills and explains what God intended in the Scriptures. This explanation is true of the inner witness He placed in you. Jesus gives content to the design of your being, His image. If there were any misunderstandings or wrong focus regarding what God intended, Jesus clarified it. No one has the right to do this equal to Jesus. He is the fulfillment of the Scriptures. Not one jot or tittle passed away until Jesus completed the Scriptures. In this fulfillment is the authority to speak to us. The issue is not whether He is speaking or has the authority to speak; the problem is whether we are listening. Listening means to come under the authority of what He says. The Living and Written Word are united in presenting the truth to our lives. He is not only speaking but empowering obedience in our abandonment to Him. He becomes both the truth to be obeyed and the obedience of the truth. I am a Jesus pusher!!!