The Authority of the Incarnate Word
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matt. 28:18).
In Matthew 21:23, while Jesus was teaching, the chief priests and the elders asked Him, “ ‘By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?’ ” (NKJV). Jesus responded to the question in good rabbinic fashion, and that was—with a counter question: “The baptism of John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?” (vs. 25, NKJV; see vss. 24–27). In rabbinic debates the counter question was meant to point the way to the answer of the original question. When they refused to answer, He refused to give a clear answer in return, because if they refused to acknowledge God’s power in John’s ministry, there was little point in discussing His own—which was also from God.
What do the following texts tell us about Jesus’ authority? Matt. 7:28, 29; Mark 1:21-27; Luke 8:22–25; 9:1; John 5:25–27.
Ultimate authority belongs to Christ as our Creator (John 1:3) and Redeemer (Rom. 3:24). He is at once the final court of appeal and the absolute norm by which each life is to be judged. Divine authority finds its focus and finality in Him. The Gospels, therefore, declare that His teaching caused astonishment because He taught as One having authority (Matt. 7:29).
Throughout the Gospels we find Christ’s more-than-human authority. He forgave sins (Mark 2:10), drove out devils (Mark 3:15), and claimed the right to judge men’s hearts (John 2:24, 25) and give eternal life (John 10:28). Yet, the authority that Christ exercised within His earthly commission was granted to Him by the Father (John 17:2). Whatever He did, including all the miracles He performed, always was done in dependence on and in cooperation with His Father (John 5:19). At the same time, He had absolute authority (Matt. 28:18). Therefore, He could delegate authority to His disciples (Mark 6:7) and will in the end judge all people (John 5:27).
| We live in a day and age when it’s fashionable to question authority. How are we to relate to authority? What factors should determine our answer? |
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