Why did the religious leaders come? We suspect that they came to see if Jesus was going to teach something with which they did not agree. They were not truth seekers. They were critics.

But why did the crowd come? Both Mark and Luke say that they came to hear Jesus teach. They did not come to see His face, or to hear Him teach philosophy, mental health, astronomy, mathematics, or history. The crowd was not seeking food or water. The gospels say that they came to hear Jesus teach the Word of God.

This reminds me of the early years of a very large church in Sun Valley, California. The church was about 650 people in size and they were packing out the building they were in when they built a larger building, which today functions as a gymnasium. The building could seat about 1,000 people at one time. Within one year the church doubled in size. Then they started conducting two services and eventually put sound speakers outside so that the people could sit outside the building in order to hear the Word of God. People would come very early in order to get a seat, and those who did not come in time would sit outside in the cold and moisture. After several years, they built a larger building which is now called the Worship Center. The number of people attending the church doubled and then they started providing two services. About 10,000 people would gather on a Sunday morning, and about 20,000 attended the church. Why did they come? Why were they willing to sit outside? Several facts are true - they did not come primarily for fellowship. They did not come primarily for worship music. They did not come primarily because of the children’s ministry or the women’s ministry. The did not come in the early years because the church was large. They came to hear the Word of God. They sat outside in the cold to hear the Word of God. They wanted to hear the Word so much that they were willing to suffer.

Teaching was always Jesus’ priority! Jesus set the standard and He modeled the purpose for the church. The role of teachers and pastors is to teach the Word of God. We are to teach the scriptures in depth. We grow by in-depth teaching of scripture. That is the priority.