Jesus Christ​—The Reach of His Message

“Surely the most enduring testament to the sage from Capernaum is that he continues to hold hearts and minds in his gentle grasp.” *​—AUTHOR GREGG EASTERBROOK.

WORDS have power. Well-chosen words of wisdom can move hearts, inspire hope, and change lives. No man has ever been more powerful in word than Jesus Christ. One who heard Jesus give the now well-known Sermon on the Mount later wrote: “When Jesus finished these sayings, the effect was that the crowds were astounded at his way of teaching.”​—Matthew 7:28.

To this day, many of Jesus’ sayings are familiar to people the world over. Consider a few examples of sayings rich in meaning.

“You cannot slave for God and for Riches.”​—Matthew 6:24.

“All things, therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also must likewise do to them.”​—Matthew 7:12.

“Pay back . . . Caesar’s things to Caesar, but God’s things to God.”​—Matthew 22:21.

“There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.”​—Acts 20:35.

But Jesus did more than utter memorable sayings. The message he preached had power because it conveyed the truth about God, taught people how to find real meaning in life, and clearly pointed to the remedy for all human suffering​—God’s Kingdom. As we examine this message on the pages that follow, we will see why Jesus continues to hold millions of “hearts and minds in his gentle grasp.”

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