Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to have actually heard Jesus speak? What kind of voice did He have? Did it have a strong tone of authority or was it mellowed with comfort and reassurance? Have you ever secretly articulated statements of Jesus in the way you think He might have said them? We are grateful indeed for the eyewitnesses who have preserved for us a collection of His words. To study these words of Jesus is to catch something of the spirit and thrust of His ministry. The kinds of words He used and the arrangement of them suggest that the mood of His speaking was always that of love. Whether it was the cutting words of “Get thee behind me, Satan” or the quiet invitation of “Come unto me”, the character of love was always present. From the sermon on the mount to the sayings on the cross Jesus used words to reveal the heart of God. With prophetic authority He used words to curse the barren fig tree and to chastise the Temple merchants. With healing power He used words to castigate the demonic and restore health to the crippled and unclean. With instructive skill He used words to preach His sermons for the multitudes and give private lessons for individuals facing personal disaster.
With compassion and insight He used words to probe the motives of all who came to Him and to offer them the truth which would set them free. With prayerful anticipation He used words to communicate with the Heavenly Father and to bless those who struggled to find the Father’s will.
With compelling urgency He uses words to commission and empower us for world missions. His words of old motivated by compassion for the people of His day span the centuries to become words of love for us today. As we hear let us hide His words in our hearts that we may not sin against God. In so doing may the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in God’s sight.
