Teachers are an interesting lot. We have all experienced teachers who really didn't know their subject very well as well as teachers who knew their subject inside and out.
The teachers who know their subject teach with more than authority, they teach with passion and excitement. They want their students to come to love the subject as much as they do. This sets them apart from the others.
Jesus loved the Father and he loved God's Word. When he taught in the synagogue or from a boat, or sitting on the side of a mountain, he taught with authority, passion and joy.
This is what attracted the crowds to listen to him. They wanted what he had! They wanted the conviction that they were loved by God.
They wanted healing from more than their physical needs; they wanted healing from their spiritual needs as well. Jesus gave them hope.
Jesus let them know that God had not abandoned them, but that their leaders had abandoned God. The Kingdom of God was at hand and it was time for them to repent and that God was ready to welcome them home.
This was especially important to the poor and any of those whom the chief priests and the Pharisees put down as unworthy of God's love and forgiveness.
They saw how he had selected a tax collector to be one of his trusted followers. They witnessed him driving out demons and preaching that the poor were beloved of God, not cursed by him.
There's an old story about a celebration where two different people were asked to lead the group in prayer. One was a famous orator and the other an old preacher. The both chose The Lord's Prayer.
The orator gave a very dramatic recitation of the prayer; the other prayed it as he always did. When the preacher finished, the orator had tears in his eyes.
When he was asked about it, he said that he knew the prayer, but the preacher knew the Father.
Jesus knew the Father and that makes the difference. We need to listen and learn from him.
