A Treasury of Goodness.—Christ
longed to fill the world with a peace and joy that would be a similitude of
that found in the heavenly world. [Matthew
5:1-12 quoted.]
... With clearness and power He spoke the words that were to come down to our
time as a treasure of goodness. What precious words they were, and how full of
encouragement. From His divine lips there fell with fullness and abundant assurance
the benedictions that showed Him to be the fountain of all goodness, and that
it was His prerogative to bless and impress the minds of all present. He was
engaged in His peculiar, sacred province, and the treasures of eternity were at
His command. In the disposal of them He knew no control. It was no robbery with
Him to act in the office of God. In His blessings He embraced those who were to
compose His kingdom in this world. He had brought into the world every blessing
essential to the happiness and joy of every soul, and before that vast assembly
He presented the riches of the grace of heaven, the accumulated treasures of
the eternal, everlasting Father. Here He specified who should be the subjects
of His heavenly kingdom. He did not speak one word to flatter the men of the
highest authority, the worldly dignitaries. But He presents before all the
traits of character which must be possessed by the peculiar people who will
compose the royal family in
the kingdom of
heaven. He specifies those who shall become heirs of God and joint-heirs with
Himself. He proclaims publicly His choice of subjects, and
assigns them
their place in His service as united with Himself. Those who possess the
character specified, will share with Him in the blessing and the glory
and the honor
that will ever come to Him.
Those who are
thus distinguished and blessed will be a peculiar people, trading upon the Lord’s
gifts. He speaks of those who shall suffer for His
name’s sake as
receiving a great reward in the kingdom of heaven. He spoke with the dignity of
One who had unlimited authority, One who had all heavenly
advantages to
bestow upon those who would receive Him as their Saviour.
Men may usurp
the authority of greatness in this world; but Christ does not recognize them;
they are usurpers.
There were
occasions when Christ spoke with an authority that sent His words home with
irresistible force, with an overwhelming sense of the greatness
of the speaker,
and the human agencies shrunk into nothingness in comparison with the One
before them. They were deeply moved; their minds were
impressed that
He was repeating the command from the most excellent glory. As He summoned the
world to listen, they were spellbound and entranced and
conviction came
to their minds. Every word made for itself a place, and the hearers
1084
believed and
received the words that they had no power to resist. Every word He uttered
seemed to the hearers as the life of God. He was giving evidence
that He was the
light of the world and the authority of the church, claiming pre-eminence over
them all (MS 118, 1905).
REFERENCE
S.D.A. Bible Commentary Vol. 5
Ellen G. White
1956
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