Mark 1:21-22
Authority!
What exactly does that mean? I like to think of authority this way. Everyone
has limits to what they are allowed to do, and what they can in fact do. I may want
to pass a law, but I don’t have the authority to do so. I was not elected. I
may want to fix someone else’s driving habits, but I would get in trouble if I
tried to pull them over and give them a driving lesson. I would like my pickles
spread out evenly in my Wendy’s burger, but if I were to go back to the kitchen
and try to do it myself, the cops would be there in a hurry. In each of these
instances I lacked authority. In the first one, I didn’t even have the ability
to pass a law. You see, we need both authority and ability to do some things.
Jesus
goes into the local synagogue there in Capernaum. Capernaum has become his base
of operations for His ministry in the Galilean ministry. Many of the recorded
things from Jesus life take place there. Synagogues came into existence because
of Israel’s rebellion which resulted in the destruction of the Temple in
Jerusalem. The Israelites were sent into exile and gathered for study of the
Scriptures. They were everywhere Jews has settled that had enough men to
maintain one.
When Jesus gets to the synagogue He is invited
by the synagogue leader to teach. He didn’t have the right as a visitor to
stand up and teach, He had to be invited. If He had just walked in and started
to teach, they would have stopped Him, and asked what right did he have in
doing this? You can’t just waltz in and take over. You have to be invited by
the proper authority.
But
there was something different about the way that Jesus taught, the content of
His teaching. When He spoke, people knew that He knew what He was talking
about. There was no wishy washy statements, no wiggle room, no ahs, or ums. He
had a confidence about what He said and people could hear that confidence.
I
want to encourage you, if you want to have this kind of presence, to master
your subject area. Become the expert. It will take a lifetime, but it will be
worth it. But Jesus was still a very
young man. He had not had a lifetime to gain wisdom and expertise. And yet,
this is exactly what the people heard: authority. Normally teaching in the synagogue
would start with a Scripture passage and then proceed to interpretation,
usually by referring to tradition and famous Rabbi’s from the past. But Jesus
must not have done this. Since He inspired the Scriptures, He knew exactly what
was meant, and exactly how to apply it in a contemporary context. He didn’t
need to quote anyone but Himself.
This
contrast hit the people. They knew Jesus was different. And this was even
before He cast out the demon. Jesus didn’t need to do any miracle. They were
already convinced He was different. And He was different from the other
teachers of His day, or any day for that matter. He has the authority to speak
on all matters, even those of eternity.
I
want you to think about this fact: Jesus has authority to speak about every
area of life. How will this affect your decisions today? Watch out when people
try to quote all sorts of outside people when they teach, especially when they
are trying to convince you to believe something other than the plain meaning of
Scripture. The Scriptures are deep enough for the greatest scholar, but simple
enough for the simplest to understand its central truths about God and mankind,
and how to deal with sin and righteousness. Truth is Truth. No need to fiddle
with it. Accept it and the LORD will give you the strength to live it.