Teaching in Depth

[Thompson, Darryl]

Teaching in Depth 

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

     Of Christ's teaching it is said, "The common people heard him
gladly" (Mark 12:37). "Never man spake like this man," declared the
officers who were sent to take Him. His words comforted, strengthened,
and blessed those who were hungering for that peace which He alone could
give. O how tender and forbearing was Christ! how filled with pity and
tenderness were His lessons to the poor, the afflicted, and the
oppressed! . . . His illustrations were taken from the things of daily
life, and . . . had in them a wonderful depth of meaning. The fowls of
the air, the lilies of the field, the seed, the shepherd and the
sheep--with these objects Christ illustrated immortal truth, and ever
afterward, when His hearers chanced to see these things of nature, they
recalled His words. . . .  

     Christ's words, so comforting and cheering to those that listened
to them, are for us today. As a faithful shepherd knows and cares for
his sheep, so Christ cares for His children. He knows the trials and
difficulties surrounding each one. "He shall feed his flock like a
shepherd," declares Isaiah: "he shall gather the lambs with his arms,
and carry them in his bosom." Christ knows His sheep intimately, and the
suffering and helpless are objects of His special care. . . .  

     Christ has weighed every human affliction, every human sorrow. He
bears the weight of the yoke for every soul that yokes up with Him. He
knows the sorrows which we feel to the depth of our being, and which we
cannot express. If no human heart is aroused to sympathy for us, we need
not feel that we are without sympathy. Christ knows; and He says, Look
unto Me, and live. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). I have borne your griefs
and carried your sorrows. You have the deepest, richest sympathy in the
tender, pitying love of your Shepherd. . . . His humanity is not lost in
the exalted character of His Omnipotence. He is ever longing to pour out
His sympathy and love upon those whom He has chosen, and who will
respond to His invitation.

>From That I May Know Him - Page 51