"Who Has The Authority"

When I was growing up my mom would most often call for me using my shortened name Sim.  “Sim, come here” she would say.  But when she was upset with me she would call out “Simpson”.  This was her voice of authority and when she used It, I knew I was in deep doggie do do!  Who commanded a voice of authority when you were growing up?  

Mark 1:21- The voice of Authority 

²¹ They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. ²² The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.²³ 

Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, ²⁴ “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

²⁵ “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” ²⁶ The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

²⁷ The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” ²⁸ News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

What I need you to do is ponder on the comments from the reading which stated that he taught them as one with authority but not as the teachers of the law did.  And that it was for them a new teaching that emphasized a new sense of authority.     

When we first hear the word authority we often associate it with the voice from a pretty stern strict or angered parent.  In your upbringing you may have associated the voice of authority coming from a relative, a school principal, a policeman or the drill sergeant in your cadet core.    We often think of a courtroom judge and its jury as the final voice of authority for some people.    The higher hierarchy of an organized church or its religion is usually a recognized voice of authority for them.   

If you look closely you will see that the above assumptions about where we see authority have been reinforced within society and religions by something called dualistic thinking, or a clear cut approach to right and wrong, good and evil.    For example within religion we have been taught to think in terms of the sinner and the saved, the righteous and the unrighteous, those who are in or heaven bound and those who are not.   I would like to suggest here that this dualistic approach to authority is based on and influenced by early Geek mythology and does not come to us via our Jewish roots.  The God of the Hebrew Scriptures was seen by the Israelites as a God of love, rescue, mercy and grace as illustrated in the story of Jonah and his whale of a tale story.  The God of the Old Testament, or Hebrew Scriptures is a God who offers a merciful change of mind when people or nations change their ways.    If you did your home work from last week you may have gleaned that truth from the story.   Here Jesus is offering a new teaching about authority where authority is not based on the sinner or the saved, right or wrong, good or evil, but on compassion, acceptance, forgiveness and Love regardless of who you are, where you have come from or what your past might be.  The ultimate authority is shown and presented in love, which was given to the world in the person of Jesus.   Jesus is the authority and has now bestowed this authority upon us to represent His love, truth, compassion, humility, and forgiveness which we are to extend to others on His behalf.  This authority not only came into the world but was entrusted to us and is to be cried into the next generation.   An authority that commands us to be the last, so we can be first in the eyes of our creator.    We may have to learn once again that the rule of law both inside and outside the church does not contain the authority we seek nor should it be where we look for it.  If that were the case, we would no longer look to doctrine or dogma for our authority but to the life and times of our Lord Jesus Christ realizing that the unity or oneness we seek can only be found there for all humanity. 

We all know that the Law is only a guideline but has no authority 

over God’s love for his children.  That God’s love always wins and

contains the ultimate authority over evil as taught by Christ Jesus, and is 

contained in unconditional love and forgiveness for all.