“Jesus taught them,
As one who had authority,
Not as their scribes”
ἦν γὰρ διδάσκων αὐτοὺς ὡς ἐξουσίαν ἔχων, καὶ οὐχ ὡς οἱ γραμματεῖς αὐτῶν.
Matthew spoke about the authority of Jesus, that also was in Luke, chapter 4:32, as well as Mark, chapter 1:22. What was this authority that Jesus had? He was not like one of the scribes (καὶ οὐχ ὡς οἱ γραμματεῖς αὐτῶν). The scribes were religious experts who determined the traditions to be followed. These scribes were professional copiers of manuscript documents, although they had a wider role in Jewish society. They might have been the forerunners of the rabbinic class that was developing at that time. Perhaps, the author of this gospel might have been a Jewish scribe himself because he was very familiar with Hebrew scriptures. Jesus taught on his own authority (ἦν γὰρ διδάσκων αὐτοὺς ὡς ἐξουσίαν ἔχων) without referring to tradition.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 