The Vision (3.2.18): Never man spake like this man

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on John 7:40-53.

The officers answered, Never man spake like this man (John 7:46).

What a powerful presence and speaker Christ must have been during his earthly ministry! He drew men like a magnet to himself. He mesmerized men with his words.

Calvin reminds us that one can admire the doctrine of Christ and yet not yield to Christ. These officers were impressed by Christ but we are not told of repentance and faith in him. And yet I think this description is meant to make us consider how believers are so often drawn to Christ by the power of his words.

We might wonder why God in his wisdom did not choose to have the Word be made flesh in the age when video images and sound could have been captured. We can speculate about what it would be like to have an audio or video recording of Christ.

But God in his wisdom chose not to send forth his son into such an era, and his timing is perfect.

I have heard some very compelling speakers in my day. Through the miracle of modern technology, we can listen to many of the great speeches made in the modern era.

But this verse reminds us that no man ever spoke like Christ. No man ever spoke with his authority. And though, in God’s perfect timing, the Lord Jesus Christ did not come in a time when his words might be recorded on audio or video, the Lord did see that his words be preserved for us in the Word of God written.

In the Gospel of John, as throughout the Bible, we can hear the voice of Christ, when he says:

"I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger: and he that          believeth on me shall never thirst" (John 6:35).

"If any man thirst let him come to me and drink" (John 7:37).

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27).

Do you hear in the voice of Christ the voice of your shepherd? Do you acknowledge him to be the Son of David, the Messiah, the prophet greater than Moses?

If so, you can say with all who have been indelibly impressed by Christ, Never man spake like this man.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle