New Series: "With Authority"

With Authority: A Study on Power Through the Lens of Mark

   Authority means someone has the right to do something and the power to back it up.  In an age of tolerance and pluralism, the voice of a final authority seems a faint one.  Things like anger, evil, tradition, money, and opinion all fight for final authority in our lives and in our society.  Is there a genuinely truthful and authoritative word?  Does someone have the final say?  Jesus came with an urgently forceful gospel, expounded by his presence as the very Son of God.  He was recognized as one who teaches “with authority.”  Does his name bring authority today? 

evxousi,a

   The word “authority” in Greek, evxousi,a , is used throughout the New Testament.  It includes the might, power, and right of authority.  It is not only the power to do something, but the right to do it.  We see in Scripture that God’s authority is his unrestricted sovereignty.  There is no force that is capable of impeding his will.  He has the final say.  His word is power, expressing his ultimate Lordship.  He has power and control over creation, demons and the forces of evil, all humanity, and over death. 

The Authority of Jesus in Mark:

   Jesus is revealed as the Son of God, and so by his very nature, he carries authority.  This comes both from within his divinity and his relationship to the Father (1:11).  Jesus’ authority is counter-cultural.  It causes both astonishment (6:2) and fear (5:15) and brings large crowds following him (1:28; 3:7).

Quotations:

“Through the risen Christ there has been let loose into the world a force which can transform life beyond recognition.  It is electrifying in its power, shattering in its wonder”      James S. Stewart

G.K. Chesterton comments of Jesus, the Word made flesh, as “that incredible interruption that was the blow that broke the very backbone of history.”

Pastor Jeff Cloeter
jeff@reliantchurch.org