But My words shall not pass away.
The perpetuity of Christ’s words
Contrast the apparent transitoriness of “words” with the solid earth and the “eternal heavens.” Yet when these shall have faded away the words of Christ will still endure.
I. In a literal sense the text reminds us that the words which Jesus spake while on earth are permanently associated with our whole life.
II. All our literature is enriched by these words.
III. That which is spiritual must always be more permanent than the material.
IV. Yet the material prepares the way for the spiritual application.
1. A lesson of warning, since we are in danger of attaching too much importance to the form, and too little to the truth, which the form embodies.
2. A lesson of encouragement; opinions may change and interpretations differ; but the truth remains always the same. (F. Wagstaff.)