Jesus Christ, An Incomparable Teacher.

Adapted From A Sermon By

George Burder

The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!”

(John 7:46)

Our text this morning is John 7:46: The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!”

“The tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things;”(James 3:5) and indeed, great things have been accomplished by it. Orators, generals, counsellors, senators, and preachers, have produced wonders by their speeches; but the greatest and best of them all cannot be compared with him of whom the words of our text were, in an outburst of admiration, spoken.

The pharisees and chief priests, who had determined to reject all the evidence that Jesus gave of his divine mission, alarmed at his growing popularity, took measures to arrest and silence him. Many people, it appears, had already believed on him, and were so impressed with the wonders he had performed, that they openly said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”(John 7:31) The rulers therefore determined to take him prisoner, sent officers to arrest him, and were waiting with the expectation of satisfying their malice by seeing him prosecuted in their court.

But how were they disappointed, when the officers returned without their expected prisoner! and when asked why they had not brought him, they answered, in the words of the text, No one ever spoke like this man! What could have been more honorable to the character of our Lord than this report? Plutarch mentions it as a memorable proof of the extraordinary eloquence of Mark Antony, when soldiers were sent to kill him, that he pleaded for his life in such moving language, that he totally disarmed them of their resolution, and melted them into tears. But these officers are vanquished, not by the forcible arguments of a man pleading for his life, but by hearing one of the ordinary discourses of our Lord, not particularly directed to them, but to the people at large, which is a much more remarkable circumstance. They returned to their employers in amazement, and without attempting an apology for their failure, they broke out into the pathetic language of the text, No one ever spoke like this man!

The observation they made upon our Lord’s discourse was certainly just, and was more true than they realized, and we are in a better position to express it. They heard him only once, and that perhaps not for an hour: but how many of his discourses, committed to writing by men inspired of God, and handed down to us, have we read and heard: and if we heard them with understanding, and mixed them with faith, we have much more reason than they had to say, No one ever spoke like this man!

In order that we may more fully see the reason for this, and learn to prize this heavenly teaching still more highly, let us consider and illustrate the following observation:

Jesus Christ is incomparably the greatest and best teacher the world ever knew.

It is fit and becoming, “that in everything he might be preeminent;”(Colossians 1:18) for he is the first and the last, the Almighty. In every character that he assumes, which, for the sake of our feeble minds, is compared to something human, he is infinitely superior, for he is the source of all that is excellent and admirable in the best of those human characters to which he condescends to be compared: and well may it be allowed that he spoke as “no one ever spoke,”(John 7:46) who himself made man’s mouth, endowed him with the wonderful faculty of speech, and who furnished the finest orators in the world with all their most brilliant talents.

Is he, for instance, a King!?—Yes, he is “the King of kings, and the Lord of lords,”(Revelation 19:16) and “his kingdom rules over all;”(Psalm 103:19) his reign is the most pacific; his subjects are the most happy; his government the most equitable; his influence the most extended; and his kingdom that which shall never have an end.

Is he a Priest?—Yes; but far greater than Aaron. Jesus offered a sacrifice, but it was only once, it was once for all; a sacrifice, that needed no repetition, like that of ordinary priests, but it was at once a propitiation for the sins of the whole world, not for Jews only, but for all of every country and in every age who will believe on him.

Is he a Prophet?—Yes; and such a one as the world never before heard. “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,”(Hebrews 1:1) and among them, we highly venerate the names of Moses and Abraham, Isaiah and Elijah, and John. But one greater than any of these is here; and if we consider this holy prophet aright, we will have good cause to say, “No one ever spoke like this man!”(John 7:46) And this can be brought home when we consider three things.

The Matter—the Manner—and the Effect of his Instructions.

1. Let us first consider the Matter of his instructions.

What was it that he taught? And here we will find none of that sad pettiness, which distinguished the scribes, and pharisees, and rabbis, among the Jews, some examples of which our Lord has given in order to expose them.—No, our Lord’s discourses were solemn, solid, and of eternal significance; for instance,

i) He truly revealed the divine character.—He who was from eternity “at the Father's side,”(John 1:18) and had an intimate acquaintance with the whole mind and will of God, “he has made him known.”(John 1:18) he has manifested the divine name and nature to the people who were given him out of the world,(John 17:6) and qualified them to be the instructors of mankind. Doubtless there is more of the true knowledge of God displayed in one single discourse of our divine Redeemer, than in all the volumes composed by heathen philosophers.

ii) Again, He fully explained the will of God, as revealed, long before, in the moral law. In the ten commandments, we have the will of God in outline—we have “the root of the matter;” but in the discourses of Christ, we have the spiritual meaning and extent of the law—we have the lofty tree with all its extended branches. The Jews had the law, but it was miserably expounded to them by their teachers, who not only dwelt chiefly on its outward rites and ceremonies, neglecting the weightier matters, but by their wretched traditions set aside its intended purpose. With what authority did our Lord correct these dangerous mistakes, and point out the true and spiritual meaning of the law, particularly in his Sermon on the Mount!

We find him also insisting upon the spiritual nature of that worship which God requires, and which alone he will accept. He showed that it was not merely worshiping in the holy place at Jerusalem, nor the mere use of divinely appointed means, but that God, who is a Spirit, must be worshiped in spirit and in truth; that the washing of the outside of the cup and the platter was of little use: he insisted upon the religion of the heart; he showed the necessity of private prayer, of secret devotion, and of a purity of motive in all our religious actions; he showed that the kingdom of heaven did not come visibly and with outward show, as the Jews expected, but that it was of an internal nature, and consisted in peace and righteousness and joy in the Holy Spirit; he showed men that love is the very essence of true religion—love to God and love to man; and how admirable were our Lord’s precepts with regard to the love of our neighbor! In his parable of the good Samaritan, he shows that we ought even to treat our enemies with kindness, and melt them down by acts of friendship.

iii) But the superiority of our Lord's preaching appears especially in the display he made of the divine mercy, of the love of God to sinful men, in the gift of his only-begotten Son, who came into our world to die for them! With what encouraging words did he open his commission at Nazareth, saying “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”(Luke 4:18)

The prophets usually came to men with heavy news, called, The burden of the Lord, denouncing curses upon the disobedient; but our blessed Lord opened his mouth with blessings upon the poor, the meek, the mourners, the pure in heart, and even on those who were persecuted for righteousness’ sake—characters far from being generally deemed happy: and how divinely sweet and comforting were the gracious sayings that dropped from his lips—such as “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost,”(Luke 19:10)—“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”(Mark 10:45)—“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”(Matthew 11:28)—“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”(John 7:37)

iv) Again, Jesus unveiled the invisible and eternal world. Up until then little had been disclosed. The patriarchs indeed sought a better country than Canaan—a heavenly world, yet they were not favored with such a revelation of its excellencies and glories as was made by the mouth of Jesus, who came down from heaven on purpose to direct men there. By him the immortality of the soul was fully and plainly asserted. “Do not fear those,” said he, “who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”(Matthew 10:28) He plainly taught the nature of the future world, and the existence of the soul in a separate state from the body, as when he said to the penitent thief on the cross, “today you will be with me in paradise.”(Luke 23:43) He taught the final separation of those characters who are united in the visible church —the wheat and the weeds—the good and bad fishes—the wise and the foolish virgins, a separation of whom shall be made in the great day. But,

II. The superiority of our Lord’s instruction shines in the Manner, as well as in the matter of it.

i) He taught more clearly than any one who had gone before him. The Gospel truths which were revealed in the Old Testament were described as “a shadow of the things to come,”(Colossians 2:17) but the substance is Christ. The writings of the prophets are frequently obscure, for they themselves had imperfect knowledge of the full meaning of their own prophecies; but our Lord’s teaching was like a morning without clouds, like the rising of the sun, with healing in his wings. The light of the Gospel broke through the obscurity of the law. How touchingly familiar were the instructions of our Lord in parables! in the form of touching or memorable parables, he conveyed the great truths of religion—a pleasing mode of instruction, well adapted to both classes of his hearers; for the teachable easily perceived the aim of his discourses, or if they did not know it, they humbly asked to be informed; while those proud opposers, who only sought to argue, found enough to become stumbling-blocks to their own ruin. You remember our Lord’s parable of the sower, to show the different effects of the preached word, and his setting a little child in the midst of his disciples to teach them humility.

ii) Our Lord’s teaching was also distinguished by its mild and affectionate manner. Indeed, he asks for the attention of his disciples on this ground. “Learn from me,” says he, “for I am gentle and lowly in heart,”(Matthew 11:29)—no forbidding—no philosophic or priestly haughtiness, but waiting to be gracious, and willing to impart knowledge; he was indulgent in all his behavior, even to his dull disciples, and gentle to his bitterest enemies. Paul speaks of “the gentleness of Christ,”(2 Corinthians 10:1) and “the affection of Christ Jesus.”(Philippians 1:8) How moving were his lamentations over Jerusalem! and how moving his farewell discourse to his disciples!

iii) Again, our Lord taught the people faithfully. He honestly told his disciples what they were to expect if they became his followers—that they must deny themselves, and take up their cross; that they would not, perhaps have accommodation no better than the foxes of the wilderness had, or the birds of the air; but they must look for divisions and discord, and evil speech; indeed, for death itself. He also plainly forewarned men of their danger; he boldly exposed the ignorance and hypocrisy of the Pharisees; he warned men against them as blind leaders of the blind, lest both should fall into the pit.

iv) How zealous also was our Lord in giving these instructions! he was like a determined man, who felt the importance of what he taught. “The zeal for your house,” says he, “will consume me!”(John 2:17) insomuch that his own relatives suspected his sanity, and implied that he was beside himself.

v) Observe also how majestically he spoke. Never had anyone before spoken like him. Even the common people observed that he spoke with authority, and not as the scribes. The dignity of his manner, and the weight of his discourses, constrained his hearers to say, No one ever spoke like this man! And this will appear still more clearly, when we consider,

III. The Grand Effect of his teaching.

i) He who spoke on earth in this astonishing manner, was no less a person than he who said, at the creation of the world, “Let there be light, and there was light.”(Genesis 1:3) The effect of our Lord’s word on inanimate things was powerful. When the tempestuous winds raged fiercely, and the waves of the sea threatened instant destruction, all he had to say is, “Peace, be still,”(Mark 4:39) and there was a great calm.

ii) Demons, who at that time were allowed to possess the bodies of men, and grievously tormented them, were banished with a single word, and the poor tormented souls were found sitting at his feet in their right mind.

iii) And with respect to men—what power accompanied his words! Did he command the fishermen of Galilee to abandon their nets and their boats, or did he command the wealthy tax collector to leave his booth, they instantly comply, forsake all their occupations and possessions, and immediately join his humble following. Did atrocious sinners mingle with the multitude who flocked to hear him preach, one word from our Lord, spoken to their hearts, changed them in a moment. She who had had been a grievous sinner follows Jesus even into the house of a Pharisee, wetting his feet with her tears, and wiping them with her hair! Zaccheus, likely before an extortioner, hears Jesus invite himself to his house, receives him gladly, and, changed by his grace, immediately became another man. Who but Jesus could have dared to say to a weeping penitent, “Go in peace, Your sins are forgiven?”(Luke 7:50, 48) Can any but God forgive sins?

And still his word (and the preached Gospel is his word) by the power of the Holy Spirit, produces similar effects. For what purpose was the Gospel ordained? “To open men’s eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in him.”(Acts 26:18) Our Lord declares what should be the grand effect and influence of his Gospel; “An hour is coming,” said he, “and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”(John 5:25) And so it proved to the Ephesians; they were originally “dead in trespasses and sins,”(Ephesians 2:1) but they were “made alive”(Ephesians 2:5) by the word of the Lord Jesus. So it was with the Corinthians: they had been wallowing in every sort of vice, but “they were washed, they were sanctified, they were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,(1 Corinthians 6:11) called to be saints;”(1 Corinthians 1:2) they became new creatures—old things passed away—all became new.(2 Corinthians 5:17)

The apostle Paul, in his first epistle to the Corinthians describes the way in which this great change was frequently brought about in the early times. Speaking of the religious assemblies of the first Christians, where the word of the Gospel was preached—if “an unbeliever or outsider enters,” said he—ignorant of Christ and the Gospel, “he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all,  the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God;”(1 Corinthians 14:24-25)—the person described, came in, it may be as a spy, or merely to mock at what he might hear; but, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the word touches his heart; he is convinced of his sin and danger; he renounces his former idolatry; becomes a spiritual worshiper of the true God; and is convinced, from what he feels, that the people, whom he despised, are indeed the people of God, and that his presence is among them.

The power that produces this conviction, and this mental revolution, is and must be divine, and the apostle Paul ascribes it to the same creative voice, which at the beginning said, “Let there be light, and there was light.”(Genesis 1:3) Speaking to the same church of the Corinthians he says, “God, who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”(2 Corinthians 4:6) What a powerful picture is this of the power of divine grace on the souls of men! It is the voice of him that spoke the most glorious creatures into being, that speaks to the heart, and commands the light of the Gospel to enter. It is Jesus, by whom all things were originally made, and without whom nothing was made, who is the author of the new creation in the soul of man: and, blessed be God, the same effects are still produced, though rarely so suddenly and so visibly, yet as really and truly by the ministry of the Gospel of Christ, of which, hopefully, there are among us living witnesses.

To conclude. What has been said, ought to excite our admiration, and constrain us to use the language of the text, No one ever spoke like this man! But this is not enough; let us be anxious to hear him ourselves; each of us for himself to receive his word. It will be of little advantage to know that 2000 years ago a distinguished person spoke as no one ever spoke, unless we know that we have heard his voice and have believed in his name. For, realize, that still Christ speaks to us according to the letter to the Hebrews, “See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”(Hebrews 12:25-26)

When our Lord made his appearance on earth, a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”(Luke 9:35) And again, This is the Prophet that God promised to raise up, listen to him; “And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.”(Acts 3:23)—Doubtless Christ still speaks to us by his blessed word; let us then beware of the sin and danger of rejecting him, for as it is written in John’s Gospel, “The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.(John 12:48)”

It is, on the other hand, the distinguishing character of all true disciples, that they affectionately and practically pay attention to the voice of Christ. Our Lord says in John’s Gospel, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me;”(John 10:27) and in the 8th and 4th verses of that chapter, speaking of himself as the shepherd, he says, “The sheep hear his voice, and he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow”(John 10:3-5) but they follow the Lamb, wherever he goes. Let us then like Mary, whom he so highly praised, take our place at his feet, and so choose, like her, the good part, which shall not be taken from us; and should we be tempted to withdraw from him, let us still earnestly cleave to him, and repel every temptation to forsake this divine teacher, saying with Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go,” (if we forsake you) “for you,” and you only, “have the words of eternal life.”(John 6:68)

Finally, how glorious will be the voice of Jesus at the last day, when he will be revealed from heaven, when all mankind will be roused by his voice, the voice of the Archangel, and the trumpet of God, when all that are in their graves will hear his voice, and rise up, and receive their eternal sentence!

Then may it be our happiness to hear, from his own blessed lips, these delightful words, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”(Matthew 25:34)