When Jesus moved to Capernaum, he settled in the house of Peter. Approximately one block away from where we were, the synagogue was located. There is still evidence of the foundation of that particular synagogue in existence today. During the time that Jesus was teaching, the people observed a change. The oral laws were not the focus of his attention, nor were he quoting other rabbis. In this manner, the scribes educated their students. Instead, Jesus would frequently respond by saying, “You have heard it was said…, but I tell you…” in response to the remark. (Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28, 33-34 for the Bible). As he spoke, he gave the impression of someone who was in a position to inform an individual or a group of people what was genuinely true and what was not.

The only rabbis who claimed to have the right to accomplish that were those who had memorized the entire Old Testament and had been given approval as an authority by two other rabbis who were of the same type. In his own words, Jesus asserted a distinct kind of approval. It was more than sufficient evidence that He spoke the truth, as evidenced by the miracles that He performed, the testimony of John the Baptist, and the testimony of His heavenly Father (John 5:33-36; 12:49). To add insult to injury, Jesus asserted that He had descended from heaven and was therefore able to speak of things that were found in heaven (John 3:13; 8:23).

According to John 7:46, no one other than Jesus ever spoke. When I listen to the gurus of this age, all I hear are words that are strung together in conjunction with one another that do not actually make sense. The words of Jesus are extremely emotional, and He backed them up with deeds that justified them more than anything else. You are able to rely on them to be absolutely accurate.

Consider the fact that some people rely their faith on their feelings. Some people’s faith is founded on their own personal views about what they believe to be true. There is only one source of truth that you can be entirely certain of, and that is the words of the One who descended from heaven.