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.And again in verse 27 we read:
27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority!This brought up the question, "What does it mean to speak or teach with 'authority'?"
Authority is a tricky concept. We know it when we sense it but it's hard to define in the abstract. In English the word has connotations of power, expertise and knowledge, reliability. It derives from the Latin word for invention, advice, command. In Greek the word means the power to act, to move in accordance with God's design. Authority is the difference between being a prophet--directly conveying God's word--and being a mimic, simply repeating the words that somebody else has already taught.
When Jesus says "the Kingdom of God is near" at the beginning of Mark he's actually bringing the Kingdom, enacting it before the people, rather than just reporting on something that's already happened. A weatherman talks about rain that might or might not happen. If that weatherman actually made it rain with his voice, just by speaking the forecast, that would be the kind of authority being spoken of here.
Jesus is the source, the inventor, the maker...he doesn't just talk about God's word, he embodies God's word and makes it real among us. The scribes spoke of God's word as something apart from them, a second-hand account with cemented definitions, dry and brittle, favoring their lifestyle and opinions. Jesus brought God's word, made it alive, poured it out upon everyone he met like a living fountain. That's authority.
What does that mean to us? Authority is not just a matter of speaking about something, even if that speaking is done in fine style and with reasonable accuracy. Authority comes when you embody that which you are speaking about, demonstrating it and enacting it for the world. Last Sunday we acclaimed as a church that the Knights of Columbus had authority that morning, cutting short our worship service in order to participate in their breakfast benefit for Grayson Esser. We stopped talking about God and lived him out instead. In doing so we became part of that authority that we were following, making a difference to our neighbors. As hundreds of people gathered for the same purpose, they became part of that authority themselves, following it and sharing it at the same time. Gathering together we were fed. Gathering together we also fed each other, supporting the event. Most importantly we supported the Essers, giving to something beyond ourselves. Our small action conveyed a big message. That's authority.
In our modern culture we tend to ascribe authority to those who agree with us. We claim authority for those who sound good, who speak well, whether or not there's substance behind their words. These definitions bring us nothing that we didn't have already and thus don't make a difference in the world. They don't move us or change us. We settle for being pleased instead of being transformed.
Jesus did just the opposite. His authority didn't please people, it moved them. It brought them into new and right relationship with God as he lived it out and explained it to them. It shook up their lives, changing fishermen and tax collectors into disciples, changing sinners and prostitutes into Children of God, changing "good" people into blind fools in need of discipline. Ultimately Jesus' authority changed dead people into living as he gave his life on the cross and rose again three days later, breaking the power of death and opening the path to everlasting life. That's authority.
We, too, have transforming authority as long as we walk that path, following Our Lord and living out his teachings in word and deed. That authority doesn't always come wrapped in a sermon. It comes when peace is shared, food is donated, neighbors are uplifted, sins are forgiven, power and privilege are put aside for the sake of someone in need. Authority doesn't shove aside the beggar and the leper, saying, "I have the power to be better than you." Authority comes when we put on the clothes of the poor and the ill and vow we will walk beside them no matter what comes, no matter where the path leads. In doing so we create a new path, brighter and more powerful than illness or misfortune. We help create a new life in Jesus Christ just as he creates a new life in us. In those moments the Kingdom of God is near for us too.
In the end authority doesn't just mean power, knowledge, or the ability to command. Authority is the gift of making the heavenly reality of God alive here on earth among God's people as we practice his disciplines of forgiveness, healing, teaching, and sharing his love. Authority is the ability to live out that which is real in a world obsessed with too many things that aren't.
What authority will your words and actions carry today? Something worth thinking about...
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
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