“As one who had authority, and not as their scribes”
Matthew 7:28–29
Cultural referenceSettledNarrator
…the crowds were astonished at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. (Matthew 7:28–29 BSB)
What it sounds like today
He was simply a more confident speaker.
The cultural key
Scribal teaching worked by citation chains ('Rabbi X says in the name of Rabbi Y'), deriving all authority from precedent and tradition. Through the whole sermon Jesus has instead said 'You have heard that it was said… but I say to you,' citing no one, placing his own word beside (and over) received interpretation of Torah.
Recovered meaning
The astonishment isn't about rhetorical polish. A teacher claiming direct, personal authority over the Law's meaning was implicitly claiming an authority his hearers associated with God; the question 'who is this?' hangs over the rest of the Gospel.