January 29, 2006

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The Authority of Christ

Mark 1:21-28/1 Peter 5:1-5

Authority.  I know some of you are already starting to squirm.  You’re starting to itch under your collar thinking about the teacher who would scream at the whole class if someone blinked the wrong way. For most of us, our encounters with authority have been less than ideal because human authority is imperfect and almost always tied to people’s need for power.  Chances are we have likely encountered more misuses of authority than appropriate expressions of it and so it makes sense that we would have our doubts about authority especially as it plays out in our lives, in the church, and in the world.

          Authority comes from the same word as author.  It is a word that indicates something that creates, something that causes an increase.  An authority is one who authors and there are two kinds of authority.  There’s the authority that comes with an office.  A judge, a president, or a pastor has authority by the law or by the community’s giving of the authority they possess in their office.  This authority has the ability to influence, to persuade, and to cause things to happen.  There’s a power that accompanies authority.  But there’s another kind of authority, one that emerges from an innate and inner confidence, the deep realization that you possess an ability to influence others.

Regardless of your views about authority, it is an unavoidable issue in this life.  Everywhere we turn we encounter some kind of authority.  In the workplace, in our communities, in our churches, and in government people are given authority to make decisions and to lead.  Authority helps give structure to life and keeps things from spiraling out of control. 

Our experiences with authority probably determine a lot about our response to it.  Some people like to challenge it.  Some like to rebel against it.  Some are quite happy submitting to it without question.  Many people try to live like they are their own ultimate authority because they are convinced they know what’s best.  For some the very mention of authority brings back memories of abuse and pain.  But still we cannot avoid its reality.

          Today, we want to focus on the authority of Christ.  There is nothing in this life that Jesus does not have authority over.  The world’s version of authority is closely linked to its pursuit of power and achievement.  Authority represents control and control means power.  But Jesus models for us an entirely different kind of authority.  An authority based in humility.  Though we can be confident in the authority of Christ over everything we face in this life, we can be equally confident that he will not misuse that authority to manipulative and deceive us. 

Jesus is in control without being controlling.  He could abuse his authority to get what he wants from people, but he chooses not to on the basis of his own character.  He chooses not to exercise absolute control over us in the use of his authority, though he could.  He could demand our submission, but he chooses to lovingly draw us to his heart instead.  He could manipulate our obedience, but he waits for us to choose obedience in response to his love. 

He is not authoritarian in his use of authority because he doesn’t have to be.  There is no other competition.  There is no greater power in the entire universe.  He is confident in his authority because he knows its source intimately: God the Father.  He has nothing to prove because there is no greater authority than that which he possesses.

Most people like to relegate Jesus’ authority to the realm of the spiritual only.  They don’t like considering the possibility that his authority extends beyond spiritual matters.  But the fact remains; Jesus has universal authority over everyone and everything that exists.  In Romans 9:5, Jesus is described as being “over all.”  The Bible also says of Christ, “³⁶For from him and through him and to him are all things” (Romans 11:36). 

Jesus didn’t have to defend or proclaim his authority during his earthly ministry because his actions proved it in visible and powerful ways.  Throughout the NT we see Jesus taking command of things humans are powerless over.  He caused storms to cease, he healed people suffering from disease and disability, he raised people from the dead, he cast out unclean spirits, and the list could go on and on.  His authority is unquestionable and undeniable.

Often in this life, people are given positions of authority they can’t handle and as a result are confronted by two common temptations.  They are tempted to either abuse their authority or to shrink back from it.  The way we exercise authority is vastly different than the way Jesus does.

In season four of the hit TV series “24,” Air Force One is shot down by terrorists and though the President is not killed, he is incapacitated and incapable of carrying out his presidential duties.  His VP invokes the 25^th Amendment to the Constitution and is sworn in as the new President.  Immediately, President Logan is deluged by a tsunami of difficult, even life threatening decisions for his country.  He knows he must capture the terrorists before they do any greater harm. 

But the thing he must do is also the thing he fears the most.  All of the authority and responsibility that comes with being President of the United States is on his shoulders.  He must now make bold and confident decisions to successfully defend his country.  Inwardly, though, he is confused, afraid, and conflicted.  He wishes he could retreat from the immensity of the responsibility facing him.

President Logan is unsure of how to use his newfound authority.  He knows he MUST accomplish his objective- capturing the terrorists-but he has no clue how.  He wrestles with every decision as if he had days to decide when in fact every second counts. 

At one point he has the lead terrorist cornered in a building and disrupts a covert mission because the lead counter terrorism agent circumvented his authority to get information that led to the discovery of the terrorist’s location.  Jack Bauer is arrested because President Logan was more concerned about protecting his power than about nabbing the terrorists.  And his decision allowed the terrorists to escape without capture.  This abuse of authority put millions of lives at risk.

Realizing his mistake, Logan begins to fear that he will not be able to successfully accomplish the mission and ultimately fail to defend his country.  His fear of failure causes him to shrink back from the authority entrusted to him and he reaches out for help by calling in a former President he trusts can get the job done.  My apologies to anyone who hasn’t seen season four and planned to watch it.

The point is this: using authority for authority’s sake, in other words using it because you can, will always result in an abuse of authority.  President Logan could not stand the thought of anyone challenging his authority and so he responds vindictively and puts the whole nation’s safety at risk.  Authority is to be exercised with sound judgment and sincere humility.  Jesus is the perfect example of how authority should be responsibly exercised.

Even Jesus was confronted with the possibility of misusing his authority.  In Luke 4:1-13, Satan tempted Jesus with several opportunities to misuse his authority for the promise of power.  But each time Jesus refused because he knew he received ultimate, universal authority from the hand of God.  Jesus’ authority is rooted in his relationship with the Father.  His authority was to be used in carrying out the mission of God in the world: to communicate the love and forgiveness of God to human hearts.  Any misuse would only drive people further away from God rather than drawing them to him.

The character of Christ constrains him to use his authority in loving ways.  Because of this we can trust his authority over our lives.  Jesus has authority over anything we might face in this life.  He is sovereign (powerful) over our problems, our fears, and our needs.  There is no problem we might face not under the command of Christ’s authority. 

In Mark 1:21-28, Jesus is teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.  The Bible says, “21 They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. ²²They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. ²³Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, ²⁴and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’ ²⁵But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ ²⁶And the unclean spirit, throwing him into convulsions and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. ²⁷They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’ ²⁸At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee” (NRSV).

The people listening were amazed because he taught as one who had authority.  He had a different confidence than the teachers they had grown accustomed to listening to.  While he is teaching a man possessed by an unclean spirit enters the synagogue.  He shouts to Jesus, “What are you doing here.  Are you here to harm us?  I know who you are.  You are Jesus of Nazareth, the Holy one of God.”  Jesus immediately rebukes the evil spirit and commands him to leave the man he possesses.  The spirit throws the man into convulsions, shrieks, and carries on but ultimately leaves the man.  The unclean spirit was in complete submission to the authority of Christ; there was nothing this spirit could do to fight against it.

All of us have “demons” trying to take control of our lives and rob us of joy in life.  These are things that continually attempt to wiggle their way into our lives and hearts.  We try to put up a good fight, but the onslaught wears us down over time.  Jesus’ demonstration of power in his home synagogue that day is an affirmation that the reign of God extends to things beyond human control and comprehension.

What are the things you’re facing today desperately beyond your control?  What things in your life despite your best efforts seem never to change or improve?  What is causing you sorrow, or pain, or anxiety?  All of these things could ultimately control your life and keep your faith from growing.  These things can only exercise authority over us that we give them.  The truth is, there is nothing we face that Jesus doesn’t have authority over, but only if we’re willing to live under his authority.  

For Christ to have authority over our lives we must make a decision.  We must choose to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, while choosing to rebuke the authority and control of the little gods we’ve surrendered our hearts to.  Jesus will not assume the position of authority in our lives unless we voluntarily surrender it to him.  Living under the authority of Christ means accepting him as our ultimate authority.  His Words, his ways, his character, and his love guide and direct our living. 

When I was a kid, I can remember fighting with my brothers about who would be king.  Why, because we all wanted to be in charge.  From an early age, the seduction of power and authority enters our hearts and corrupts our motives.  In our attempts to become our own ultimate authority we fail to see the depth of our need and our inability to meet those needs.  But when we acknowledge our need and accept Jesus’ authority over it we are empowered to live victoriously over things that used to control us.

The authority of Christ not only applies to our lives as individuals but to the life of the church as well.  The Bible teaches us that the ultimate authority in the Church is Jesus Christ.  First, Jesus is the Chief Shepherd of God’s flock.  He is the model for all those who will follow after him in leading the church.  Second, the Bible says Jesus is the Good Shepherd who willingly lay down his life for the Church.  He knows his sheep and they know him.  He speaks and they listen to his voice. 

This is how Christ exercises his authority within the Church.  Not as a power hungry, heavy-handed dictator bent on getting his way, but as one who lovingly knows, guides, comforts, protects and feeds his sheep.  We are dependant on him.  Jesus will guide us in the right way.  We must learn to listen to and obey his voice.  We must continually grow in our ability to trust his power to keep us from choosing sin.  Jesus will feed us through his Word and nourish our hearts for the purpose of maturing and completing our growth in grace.

No matter who the leaders are in the church, from the Bishop of our conference, to our District Superintendent, to the pastors of this church, they are all still sheep.  The head shepherd is Christ.  He empowers some to be leaders within the body, but before they are leaders they are sheep following Christ’s lead.

In 1 Peter 5:1-5, Peter addresses the issue of leadership within the church.  He says, “Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you ²to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it—not for sordid gain but eagerly. ³Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. ⁴And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away. ⁵In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’   

Peter urges those in leadership, especially those elders overseeing a flock of believers, to tend the sheep they’ve been entrusted with by modeling for them an example of the sacrificial love of Christ.  They are to be like Jesus to their flock.  Jesus is the primary example of servant-leadership for us.  Pastors and other leaders in the church are to model what humble, loving, Christian service and compassion look like to the people under their spiritual care. 

If the leaders in the church do not lead people to follow Jesus, then the church should not follow them.  No one should be selected as a leader in the church who is not first committed to following Christ.  Leaders should be selected through a serious and intentional process of prayer and discernment and by patiently waiting on God to provide strong, capable leaders for our committees and ministries.  When Jesus chooses the leaders in the Church we can be confident that their first commitment is following Christ.

But addressing how leaders within the church should exercise their authority is only part of the equation.  Just when you thought you were getting off the hook…but Peter doesn’t let anyone off the hook here.  He addresses the issue of the believers’ response to the authority of elders in the church.  Peter addresses these comments to “younger believers” but in doing so he may not be referring to physical age only, this statement probably applies to the spiritual age or maturity of a person as well.

So how does Peter say we should respond to our elders?  He says we should learn to accept the authority of those in leadership over us and not rebel or protest against it.  Peter’s statement assumes a situation where authority is not being abused.  Certainly, there are stories of damaged relationships within the Body of Christ because of poor or abusive leadership.  Where healing and restoration are possible that is definitely the ideal outcome.  Regardless of your experiences with authority, Peter says, “Clothe yourselves in humility.”  God wants humility to be the hallmark, the distinctive of our human relationships. 

Sometimes, pride gets in the way making genuine, loving relationships hard if not impossible.  Pride has to do with getting one’s own way.  Humility seeks what’s best for others and is committed to putting the needs and wants of others above one’s own.  Peter said God opposes the proud.  What does he mean?  He means the ethic of God’s Kingdom stands in opposition to the values of self-centered, prideful living. 

Our pride will lead to our destruction.  But God gives grace to the humble.  The grace to endure trials, the grace to love and care for others, the grace to trust God completely, the grace to live obediently, and to live under the authority of others, even those we don’t agree with.  Pride has to do with our will; humility has to do with God’s.

As I was researching this sermon, I came across the story of a company that markets an interesting toy doll.  This company advertises "a huggable, washable, and talking Jesus plush doll." The Jesus doll sells for $15.95. Sporting fuzzy dreadlocks and a satiny beard, Talking Jesus is said to recite "actual scripture verses to introduce children of all ages to the wisdom of the Bible."

Commenting on the product, Sojourners magazine reports: When you squeeze his red heart his sayings include, "I love you, and I have an exciting plan for your life," and, "Your life matters so much to me." Which aren't, um, exactly from the Bible. In fact, only one of Jesus' messages is an actual Scripture quote (John 15:12).  If a plush messiah doll wearing his heart on his sleeve is too touchy-feely for you, Talking Bible Dolls, the company behind these products, also makes a commandment-orating Moses complete with unbreakable tablets (Sojourners magazine (July 2005), p. 11, submitted by Dan Oliva, Enumclaw, Washington).

Eli Dorman

eli.dorman@mulberrryumc.org