I am a Jesus pusher!!! “You have heard it said to those of old, . . . But I say to you” (Matthew 5:21, 22). What is His authority? What gives Jesus the right to speak on behalf of the Scriptures? Is His interpretation of the Scriptures the only correct view? Why should I trust His opinion? Dozens of well-known, highly respected scholars existed in His day. What is so special about a lowly Galilean from Nazareth without credentials?
Let us begin with what is not said in our passage or its context. These things are NOT the basis of Jesus’ authority. First, consider His DIVINE DIVINITY. Many scholars propose the foundation of Jesus’ authority is His Divinity. After all, as God, Jesus wrote the Scriptures; therefore, He is the only One who can correctly interpret them. But this violates the incarnation of Jesus. No denying or desire to negate His standing as the Second Member of the Trinity exists. Although He is divine, He set aside everything that distinguished Him from us. He limited Himself to the resource available to humanity. The Trinity God filled Jesus with the Holy Spirit as the first member of the Kingdom of God! Jesus does not do what He does because He is God, but instead, Jesus does what He does because He is a man filled with God!
The high level of living Jesus proposed in the six illustrations of the Sermon on the Mount because He experienced this in His humanity. In great excitement, Jesus presented the victory available to us! He will provide this to us through the New Covenant! I am a Jesus pusher!!!