With Authority

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

WITH AUTHORITY

Mark 1:21-22

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.

NIV

It is true that this is Jesus and we know he should be able to teach with authority because we know who he is and where he came from and what he was going to do, did, and what happened and where he went back to and we even know that he is coming back again for us, but those people knew nothing of what we do. Of course there is a lot of people today who would be amazed if they heard the truth spoken with authority rather than the same old preaching about the law, the do’s and don’ts, the rules and regulations, the doctrines, dogmas, and denominational bias. For the most part those are all the things which make the unbelievers look at us believers as hypocrites. If we speak like the teachers of the law we are just that, because what we teach we cannot live. If we live in self-righteousness like those teachers of the law the unbelievers see right through us, and see us for who we really are. Should we be able to teach with authority? Has Jesus given us that authority? We know he gave authority to his twelve to preach the good news and to cast out demons. We know Paul talks about having authority from God. What that the end of all the people who Jesus gave authority to? We must believe he continues to give authority to his people to teach in the synagogues, the churches, with authority. We must believe he still gives authority to preach the good news with authority, not as one of those people who tells others what is the correct way to behave as a Christian. Yes, we all need to read the Word, hear the Word and pay attention to all the proper conduct sermons, but not as a checklist, but as a relationship with God. We need to hear teaching empowered with authority and we need to teach as one empowered with authority.