Words that Amaze
Jesus' words taught great truths, and they had great authority, and look at what Luke writes twice in this passage: "They were amazed at His teaching" (v32), and then verse 36 "All the people were amazed and said to each other, "What words these are!"
This is fascinating to me. The people heard Jesus and were amazed at what they heard. But when we read Jesus's words, are we amazed at what we read?
Rediscovering Wonder in Scripture
According to Google, to amaze someone can mean to fill them with wonder, or to surprise them in a great way. Let me ask you: do the words of Jesus fill you with wonder? Do they startle you in the best way? Or, are you neutral when it comes to the words of Jesus? "It's only words"?
John Piper writes much about being amazed by God. In his book Reading the Bible Supernaturally, Piper writes this: "I recall one day when I was in college, Clyde Kilby, my favourite English teacher, said something to this effect: "One of the greatest tragedies of the fall is that we get tired of familiar glories." That simple statement sank deep into my consciousness. It made me very sad, because I saw how superficial and unresponsive I was to so many wonders around me. It filled me with a longing not to be like that. I did not want to arrive in the Alps, be filled with wonder for a couple days, but by the end of the week be watching television in the chalet. I lamented my ability to actually yawn during Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus." Which means I loathe the thought of speaking of the glory of God in a way that is so familiar or stale or clichéd that it wakens no sense of wonder."
Ah, his words stir me! Because I too lament how the wondrous and amazing things in life often leave me bored. And the useless and pointless things in life often get my attention. I am sad that the words of Jesus don't always cause a great sense of wonder inside me!
Reading to Savour, Not Just to Study
Too often, I think, we approach the Bible to be taught (as we should), but not to be amazed. As Piper puts it in that same book, we should read our Bibles "not only to see, but to savour"! We should be profoundly moved by the words in the Scriptures - not just informed, but moved. We should savour them, as sweet and wonderful to the soul - they should amaze us!
I once wrote a little poem which I often use as a prayer before I open the Bible. Maybe you can use it too, it goes like this:
Not just for information
Not just to tick a box
Not just to do the thing that I SHOULD do
But glorious godly pleasure
Enjoyment and delight
It's these I've come to seek today from You
Friends, seek more than just lessons from the Bible. Approach it as a sacred and powerful set of words that will blow your mind! And ask God daily that He would stir your heart through the words you read!
Jesus' words amazed the people around Him. May they continually have the same effect on us.
