“Never before has anyone spoken like this one” (John 7:46). This is the response given by the guards who have been ordered to bring Jesus before the chief priests and Pharisees. The guards return empty-handed. So, the chief priests and Pharisees ask, “Why did you not bring him?” (John 7:45). What is it that stops the guards from fulfilling the order of their superiors? Let us look closely at the attributes of what Jesus says.
First, Jesus speaks with authority. He explains, “My teaching is not my own but is from the one who sent me” (John 7:16). He speaks for the Father (cf. John 12:50). Second, He speaks with simplicity. His teachings are clear and direct. And precisely because His words are simple, as happens so often with human beings, the crowds misunderstand what He says and remain divided (cf. John 7:43). Third, what He says has depth. For example, on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus says, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink” (John 7:37). In summary, what Jesus says is of Divine origin.
God’s Eternal Word speaks. When we hear Jesus, we hear the Father. The Divine is here, among us, speaking to us, calling us to believe and to have faith. Let us listen and may God grant us the grace to receive the Eternal Word into our minds, hearts and souls. “Never before has anyone spoken like this one.”