I was sitting in church last night, listening to one of the same passages of scripture being read that I have heard time and time again over the last 60 years:
28 When[aj] Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed by his teaching, 29 because he taught them like one who had authority,[ak] not like their experts in the law.
Matt 7:28-29
When I think of Jesus speaking with authority I imagine him speaking forcefully, with presence and gravitas – making sure people heard and understood his message. I’ve pretty much seen it that way for as long as I can remember.
Then last night it just struck me that the comparison Matthew makes is with the ‘experts in the law’, the same people Jesus also refers to as hypocrites because they don’t practice what they preach. It made me wonder if the point Matthew is making actually has less to do with Jesus’ oratory capacities and more to do with the integrity of his life. Perhaps Jesus was able to speak with authority because there was congruence between his life and his words so when people heard him speak they had already observed him as the real deal.
Of course that may have given impetus to his voice, but I sense authority comes from a congruent life, rather than from knowing how to use appropriate voice modulation techniques.