"Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord"(Acts 13:12)

What an amazing thing had happened! Paul and Barnabas had come to Cyprus, teaching about Jesus. Even the proconsul, the ruling official on the island, was so interested in what was happening that he "called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God"(v. 7). When Elymas tried to stop them from preaching to the proconsul, Paul gave him an earful and then struck him blind. What an amazing thing-to see the tremendous power these messengers of God possessed! "Then," the Scriptures declare, "the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done"(v. 12). Yet it is interesting to note that he believed not simply because of the miracle, but that he was "astonished at the teaching of the Lord"(v. 12, emphasis mine). Let us consider what is so astonishing about this teaching.

What made Paul and Barnabas' message so astonishing that someone as powerful as a proconsul believed it? He observed the power behind the message. This was no ordinary message, presented by no normal messengers, yet what was truly amazing was the power behind it. Who else could declare that someone was struck blind and it happen? Certainly such a deed granted instant credibility to the messengers and the things they proclaimed. Paul later told the Corinthians, "And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God"(1 Cor 2:4-5). The teaching of God is not just full of divine wisdom, but is also backed by the power of the God of heaven. How can we help but believe in a God who can split the Red Sea, make the sun stand still, and raise the dead? The power behind the message gives us confidence that we too can trust in a God with such power. It was this power that was most astonishing-and attractive-to a man of power like the proconsul.

The message is further astonishing because it is taught by the Master. At the close of His sermon on the mount, the people who had heard Jesus left "astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes"(Matt 7:28-29). Another group is astonished at the teaching that comes from God, yet their astonishment is not from a physical demonstration of power but from the Teacher and His manner. Unlike the scribes, Jesus taught them with the authority that comes from an intimate knowledge of one's subject. Jesus made man and knew his needs. He was God and had the authority to tell men what to do. He was the author of the law, and could explain it as He saw fit. It was this familiarity with the things of God-a familiarity the scribes could not even fake-that astonished the people. It reminds us that when we sit at the feet of the Master and hear His teaching, we are not simply hearing a good teacher or a prophet, but the Son of God. "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son"(Heb 1:1-2). Certainly we stand in awe of the Master Teacher-yet will we listen?

The church at Thessalonica was very receptive to the message Paul later brought to them. In his first letter to the church there, Paul lavished praise on their acceptance of the message: "For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe"(1 Thess 1:13). The Thessalonians remind us that the word is astonishing because it works in those who believe it. The words that come from God are not dead words on a page, nor are they majestic stories that are no longer applicable. They reach through the halls of history and grab at our heartstrings today. They declare what 21st century Christians must think and do and be. They make us into better people because of the words' work in us who believe it. Is the word dead? "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword"(Heb 4:13). It is that living, powerful word which can make us into what we need to be when we fill our hearts with it and do our best to live by it.

What about us? We should be impressed by the teachings of the Lord, yet being impressed means nothing if we do not study and apply the word. It has a tremendous power, but only "for everyone who believes'(Rom 1:16). It is taught by the Master, yet we must hear and do(Matt 7:24-27). It will work in us if we believe it and fill our lives with it. We can join in the power and majesty of God if we "let the word of Christ dwell in us richly"(Col 3:16). Are we filling our hearts with God's astonishing teaching?___Jacob Hudgins