Why should people think that we as Christians have authority to speak about God?
Think about that question for a moment if you would. I know that I have wrestled with it a bit this week as I contemplated our Gospel lesson for this morning. In it, Jesus teaches in a synagogue. As he is teaching, the remark is made in verse 22, "They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. After teaching, Jesus casts out a demon, and once again the people gather around and say, "What is this? A new teaching–with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him."
There was obviously something different about Jesus’ approach that caught the attention of those around him. There was obviously something different in how Jesus did things that caused those around to see that He had authority where others didn’t. For those of us who are this side of the resurrection, we know Jesus was the Son of God, or as the demons said, "The Holy One of God!" There’s no mystery for us regarding Jesus’ authority. We know it comes from God the Father. We know why we should listen to what he has to say. But what would make others say that his teaching was new and with authority?
Obviously there were many who taught about God in Jesus’ day. There were the temple priests. There were the Pharisees. There were the Sadducees. There were the zealots. There were the Romans–who held a completely different religion. There was a hodgepodge of religious outlooks even 2000 years ago. Each had their very own way of describing how a person should or should not go about the life of faith. And along comes Jesus into this fray. He’s not afraid to tell it like it is. He doesn’t sit back and say, "Well, a person could look at things this way, or a person could look at things this way." Jesus speaks of God and His Kingdom, that it is at hand, and that all should repent and believe in this good news.
Now, I am sure that the folks who adhered to all those other religious groups rolled their eyes at Jesus. I am sure that when they heard him traipsing around talking with certainty, they thought, "Just one more would be rabbi trying to get everyone to believe his way of thinking." But, Jesus took things a step further. Jesus went from saying that the Kingdom of God was at hand to actually proving it? How? Well, in our Gospel, he cast out a demon. As His ministry grew, we also know that he cured the sick, healed the lame, made the blind to see and the deaf to hear. We know how he calmed the storm and fed the hungry. Jesus didn’t just talk the talk about the Kingdom, he revealed it too. Folks not only heard the preaching, they saw what Jesus did, and they couldn’t deny that he had authority.
But that tells us about Jesus. We, in the church, know that Jesus has authority. We know it comes from God. But what about authority in our world today? Where does it come from? Who has it? I think it’s an important question in our society today because I think we have been taught to question any and every "authority" figure or institution. This started with the great social upheaval in the 1960s, and its effects are still being felt today as any and every authority is being questioned.
I mean, think about it. How many of you today trust the authority of the media? Anyone believe any particular news organization is unbiased and tells the truth?
How many of you trust the government? Anyone believe the government should have more authority over the things we do?
How many of you trust the larger church organization? How many of you believe they should have more authority in what we do here in Cat Spring?
How many of you believe that you can trust people with a whole lot of letters behind their names and titles in front of them? Well, let me phrase that a little differently. Who would you trust more in helping you raise cattle: a youngster who was raised in Houston who just graduated from Texas A&M with a PhD in animal husbandry, or a couple of the ranchers around here who have been raising cattle all their lives? Who do you think has more authority?
Shall I go on in describing how many feel about authority? I could, but I’m going to stop for a moment and ask you if you caught the other word that I used numerous times in describing the institutions above. Did you catch it? Did you catch the word, trust?
For you see, I think that people will submit to an authority if they have a trusting relationship with that authority. It is not enough simply to say, "I have authority." Here’s a story that points that out. A young second lieutenant at Fort Bragg discovered that he had no change when he was about to buy a soft drink from a vending machine. He flagged down a passing private and asked him, "Do you have change for a dollar?" The private said cheerfully, "I think so, let me take a look." The lieutenant drew himself up stiffly and said, "Soldier, that is no way to address an officer. We'll start all over again. Do you have change for a dollar?" The private came to attention, saluted smartly, and said, "No, sir!"
Now, if having a trusting relationship is a partial answer to the question of, "Where does authority come from?", let’s begin applying it to our society and our Christian faith.
We must begin with Jesus’ authority. We know that he has it. We understand this from our Gospel lesson this morning. We know that he used it to help others see the Kingdom of God breaking into the world. We know that he used the authority of the Father to save us from our sins by his death and resurrection. And after his resurrection, he spoke of his authority once more. In Matthew chapter 28, Jesus gathered his followers around him and spoke these words, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
With his authority, Jesus commanded his followers to do two things. 1. Go make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 2. Teach these disciples everything that Jesus commanded.
The question in our society is, "How do we earn the trust of others so that they may recognize us as an authority in teaching what Jesus commanded?" I mean, Jesus trusts us to make disciples and teach them what following Jesus is all about. We can’t do this unless they recognize that we are indeed true followers of Jesus, can we not? And I’m not trying to discount the work of the Holy Spirit. I know ultimately the Spirit is the one who brings folks to faith, but He oftentimes uses us to begin planting those seeds. So, how can we earn the trust of others so that they may recognize our authority to teach the Word of God? How do we build trusting relationships so that we may proclaim the Gospel to ears that are ready to hear instead of simply shutting us out when we begin talking about God?
Do you think the manner in which we follow Jesus and live our lives may have something to do with it? Amen.
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