When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
Matthew 7:28 (CSB)
The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ teaching in Matthew chapters 5 through 7, is now over. Matthew tells us that the crowds who heard it were astonished, which means they were amazed and even overwhelmed.
Being amazed by Jesus is understandable, since the crowds had never heard teaching like His. But amazement and faith are not the same thing. In Matthew 13, the people in Jesus’ hometown were astonished at Him too, and then they took offense at Him, insulted that a carpenter’s son would teach them: “And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58).
Christians call the right response saving faith. Saving faith is more than knowing facts about Jesus or thinking He was a great teacher, because a person can do both and still not trust Him. It means trusting Jesus Himself to forgive our sins and make us right with God.
Many people around us admire Jesus without trusting Him, and we should not assume that admiration is the same as faith. We ought to ask ourselves honestly whether we are trusting Him, and we can ask others the same question kindly.
The teacher the crowds admired went to the cross, died for our sins, and rose again. Everyone who trusts Him is forgiven and belongs to God.