“Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, ‘Why have ye not brought Him?’ The officers answered, ‘Never man spoke like this man.'” John 7:45-46
If ever there was a man who was dead to the praise or blame of men, it was Jesus Christ. But it was not the opinions of men that determined the manner and means by which he spoke. Although the words of men, whether favorable or unfavorable, were a very real obstacle, temptation, and deception, Christ remained free to speak that which the Father had given Him to proclaim. But what made the officers who were sent to bring Christ before the Pharisees, declare: “Never man spoke like this man.” In part, it was what Paul described of when speaking of his speech and his preaching: “…(it) was not with the enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” (1 Cor. 2:4) The Apostle Paul was not the Lord Jesus, and certainly though he spoke and preached in the demonstration and power of the Spirit, it did not measure up to the depth, richness, and life-communicating effect and power of Jesus’ works. So, what is the child of God to do with regard to this matter of speaking and preaching? How can our softest word, and yet, the cry from the highest roof top, be filled with the Spirit of God, and His power, a power that may be quiet in its manifestation, but greatly effective in God’s work in the hearts of men?
In the gospel of Luke, we find where Luke describes Christ as a child, “…growing, …waxing strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon Him.” (2:40) We then see Him seated among the “doctors,” the knowledgeable teachers of Judaism of that day, “…hearing them and asking them questions,” they being “astonished at His understanding and answers.” (2:46,47) But it will not be until we see the Lord Jesus descend into the waters of the Jordan River, there to be baptized by John the Baptist, that something occurs which gives us a knowledge of the key to His authority in power, revealed in and by His words. In that same river where the children of Israel had passed so many years before, and which became a symbol of “a point of no return,” concerning Egypt, with all of its godlessness, and vice, that river would also be a point of no return for Christ. In the act of His baptism would be the embracing of a ministry of life and power, to be exercised by the words of His mouth. Those words would speak life into the dead, healing into the sick and dying, freedom to the prisoner, salvation and cleansing to the lost sinner. Just as at the beginning of creation when by the word of God all was created, so now, in Christ, the Creator would speak again. His words would be sometimes very simple commands, or promises, or the communication of eternal truth. But what made them unique, and effective, in their power and authority, was their heavenly, divine nature. They would come specifically from the Father, given to accomplish the Father’s will and purposes, accompanied by the creative, and redemptive, power of God to save. What then about the church, and those in particular, who preach and teach the word of God? Is it not in some measure the same today?
When Jesus addressed those who would become His disciples, He spoke to them of denying themselves, taking up their crosses, and following Him. The act of self-forgetfulness and denial, and the taking up of one’s cross, is similar to going down into the Jordan River. It is a point of no return. It is an attitude that must be embraced, for in doing so, the entanglements, weights, and distractions of this world lose their effect. As the Spirit of God came upon Christ for his ministry, so the believer, having been baptized into Christ, is indwelt by Christ’s Spirit, having HIs power and authority.
Dear Father, Anoint us afresh today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.