0107 MARKS OF SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY

THE MARKS OF SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY

The seventh chapter of Matthew contains the final section of the Sermon on the Mount, and there is more to delve into with that message. Even so, I’d like to focus on Matthew’s summary after the final words that Jesus spoke in the sermon. Matthew writes,

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. ~Matthew 7:28-29

Matthew was a close observer of Jewish customs and human habits, so he saw this very clearly. His Jewish readers would also understand the nuances of these matters far better than we can.

The teachers of the law in Jesus’ day behaved very similarly to our world of academics, which requires layers of proof and footnotes and documentation, rather than just declaring something to be true. You never simply made a claim to represent God’s will without quoting from Scripture and then from the Talmud, which was the growing collection of rabbinic teaching from over the last generation or two, and continues to be a secondary guide for any Jewish scholar today. 

So, for example, if you say that God wants people to live holy lives, first you need to find a verse of Scripture that supports what you claim. You’d say, “As it is written, ‘Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.’” ~Leviticus 20:26

Then in the Talmud, you will find some statement, most of which fall under the school of Rabbi Hillel or Rabbi Shammai.

Hillel was known for his kindness, gentleness, and concern for humanity. One of his most famous sayings is "If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?" 

While you are still contemplating that, Shammai was known for the strictness of his views. He was reputed to be dour, quick-tempered and impatient. Shammai taught that if Jews had too much contact with the Romans, Judaism would be weakened, and so he followed a more strict interpretation of Jewish law. 

Into this atmosphere steps Jesus, who says things like, “You have heard it said . . . but I say to you . . ..” That is exactly what was offensive to the teachers of the law, because Jesus was teaching as one who had authority. It is also what made him popular with the masses, because they heard truth directly from God, without the maddening citations and arguments.

More than that, Jesus had authority because he not only talked about compassion and mercy, he demonstrated in his healings and miracles. It was obvious that when he said his Father cares for you, it was said within the context of healing people who were medically untreatable. He gave illustrations, but they were simple and easily observed. “See how he cares for the flowers of the field. Will he not more care for you?”

And even more than that, Jesus called God his Father. Not just distant terms like The Almighty One, or The Holy One of Israel, but Our Father or My Pappa. He seemed to have a direct relationship with his Father, so when he said to repent, it was like hearing God Himself say it to me directly. Or when he said, “In truth, you have had five husbands, and the man you are living with now is not your husband.” When that kind of prophetic insight is spot on, that seems to show indisputable authority.

In fact, Jesus pretty often threw their whole system out the window, which is why it was so infuriating to the teachers of the law. They asked his followers, “In whose name, or by what authority do you do these things?” And the followers say, “It is the name of Jesus of Nazareth, whom you crucified but God raised from the dead.” That’s pretty direct confrontation, wouldn’t you say?

But now we must ask, if those are the marks of spiritual authority, how can you and I have that kind of authority today? Perhaps the answer is too simple, but let me say the next verse of what happened when his followers made the bold claim I just quoted. They took note that they had been with Jesus. We gain spiritual authority in his name by spending time with him, just as Jesus gained his authority by rising early every morning and going alone to pray before he started his day of healing and preaching, or chose the disciples, or went into spiritual battle in the wilderness with the temptor.

One final question: Does God want us to have spiritual authority? If so, what is it that you want?