<p><span style="font-size: 11pt;">7:28&nbsp;</span><em style="font-size: 11pt;">And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these words that the crowds</em><span style="font-size: 11pt;">- Although the Lord started teaching only His disciples, leaving the multitude at the bottom of the mountain (Mt. 5:1), clearly many of them came up to hear Him over the course of His discourse- for in Mt. 8:1 we learn that the multitudes returned from up the mountain.</span></p>
<p><em>Were astonished at his teaching</em>- The sense of reality commented upon in :27 left the people with utter astonishment. Never before nor since have the eternal issues of existence been stated so clearly and compellingly.&nbsp;</p>