Jesus begins to teach in the temple. The people are amazed at His teaching and wonder how He is able to teach this way because He has never set under another teacher. Jesus’ answer gives us a great glimpse into the Christian life and the nature of Jesus Christ.
Jesus doctrine is not His but God’s
Every person is living for someone, and this includes all religious teachers and preachers from every religion. All men teach what benefits them in some way. Every teacher from every religion is in it for their own glory. The reason Jesus’ teaching is so different is because His teaching is not centered around any man because it does not come from man. Jesus’ teaching is from God and is concerned only with God’s glory.
Obedience brings understanding
You can only understand the teachings of Jesus Christ after you have obeyed them. If you submit to His teachings you will find that they are good, perfect, and acceptable (Romans 12:1-2.) You will never understand God’s law until you have submitted yourself to Him.
Understanding points us away from ourselves and to God’s glory
Everyone wants to understand God’s Law before they submit; however, in doing so, you are making yourself the god to whom all things are subject. This is why the carnal mind cannot obey God’s Law (Romans 8:7-8.) Jesus is teaching that when you obey God’s Law you will come to an understanding of why God gave those commands. You will begin to see how everything is for His glory. That is the root question. Will you live for God’s glory or your own?
Living for God’s glory produces truth
If your eyes are perfectly on God’s glory alone, you will have perfectly true doctrine. Your beliefs will be completely in line with God’s Word. You will have a perfect understanding of God’s will.
Truth produces righteousness
These true beliefs that come from living for God’s glory will then result in righteous living. Fruit is produced because of the nature of the tree. When the nature is changed to live for God’s glory, true belief will bud, and true righteous will blossom and bear fruit.
Jesus is the only way to live for God’s glory
Jesus is here speaking of Himself. He is the only One Who has ever lived perfectly for God’s glory. As such we need His nature to be birthed in us. This is why we must be born again. Our carnal nature will not live for God’s glory. We must die and Christ live in our place.
Application
Who are you living for? Are you born again? Will you submit to Jesus Christ and live for His glory?
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