"Tell Me the Story of Jesus" - The Ability of Jesus' Teaching
Spiritual Questions with Scriptural Answers.
In our last article, we discussed the wonderful teaching of Jesus Christ.
We concluded, from the Scriptures, that Jesus was and is the “Master Teacher.” When He spoke, He spoke with authority (Matt. 7:28-29).
In this article, we want to continue our study emphasizing the wonderful and powerful teaching of Jesus focusing on His amazing compassion and ability to make the message clear.
Jesus and the Religious Elite.
Mark records an instance in Jesus’ ministry when He preached a very important message about His Deity:
“Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’ Therefore David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?” And the common people heard Him gladly” (Mark 12:35-37).
Jesus was in the process of teaching and answering a series of questions.
The Pharisees.
The Pharisees asked Him, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar,” to which He replied, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:13-17).
The Sadducees.
The Sadducees asked the Lord about the resurrection and Jesus plainly told them that their understanding was incorrect for “they did not know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Mark 12:18-27).
The Scribes.
Finally, the Scribes came and asked, “Which is the first commandment of all” (Mark 12:28)? Jesus answered him,
“The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31).
As Jesus answered these questions from the religious elite, He taught in the temple.
Focusing on our text above (Mark 12:35-37), we want to focus on the phrase, “and the common people heard Him gladly.”
Jesus and the Common People.
“The common people.”
First, notice “the common people.” As one Gospel preacher said, “Jesus was able to put it where the cows AND the calves could get it.” In other words, He spoke in such a way where people of different backgrounds and learning capabilities could understand.
“Heard.”
Second, see the word “heard.” This word in the original language is “akouo,” where we get our English word, “acoustics.” It carries the idea of “hearing with intention.”
The common people listened attentively to what Jesus said, understood it, and those with honest hearts would then apply the lessons taught to their lives!
“Gladly.”
Third, examine with me the word, “gladly.” This word is an adverb describing how they heard Jesus. The word “gladly,” in this context, means, “in a willing manner, as being pleased.”
The common people heard and understood Jesus in such a way that they were glad to hear the message and were pleased by not only the message but how it was presented.
Jesus, as the Master Teacher, knew exactly how to present the truth in love and to communicate in such a way that would lead to the transformation of active hearers and doers of His Word (Jas. 1:22).
As we close, I encourage you to consider what took place when Peter preached the first Gospel sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-40). The people gathered had a very similar response to the message of Christ:
“Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them” (Acts 2:41).
The word they received was the Gospel or “good news” about the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:1-4).
They were instructed to “repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38).
They gladly heard and received the message and responded properly by being baptized, thus having their sins washed away by the blood of Jesus (Acts 22:16; Rev. 1:5)!
Jesus taught powerful, divine sermons but delivered them in such a way that “the common people heard Him gladly.” The question remains: Will we hear Him “gladly” and then do what He says to do (Luke 6:46; John 14:15; 1 John 5:3)?
Next week, we will continue our study examining the wonderful traits of The Master Teacher!
Drew Suttles is a minister for the Quitman church of Christ in Quitman, Georgia, and one of my best friends in this world. They live-stream all their Bible classes and sermons on their YouTube channel.
Drew also hosts the “Weathering the Storm” podcast on the Scattered Abroad Network. Drew talks about facing life’s challenges as a child of God. His podcast will be a blessing to your life.
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