April 1
Deuteronomy 1
Psalm 39:1-6
Proverbs 10:1-2
Luke 4:22-44
Authority
“And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and He was teaching them on the Sabbath; and they were amazed at His teaching, for His message was with authority…..And amazement came upon them all, and they were talking with one another saying, ‘What is this message? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out.’” Luke 4:31, 36 LSB
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, the gospels record many times that people were amazed by Jesus’ teaching and by His miracles. He performed many signs and wonders that were unlike anything they had ever seen. He cast out demons, made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the lame to walk. He also cured lepers, those with fevers, and other illnesses. The authority with which He performed miracles was evident. Instead of just telling the lame man to walk, He would tell him that his sins were forgiven. (Matthew 9:6-8) Demons recognized Him as God’s Son immediately and fled when He called them out. (Matthew 8:28-30, Mark 3:11, Luke 4:41) There was no doubt that He had authority from God to perform the many signs and wonders recorded in God’s Word.
People were also amazed by the insight of His interpretation of Scripture and the authority with which He taught. Scribes were the experts in the Old Testament law in that day. They were the ones who were responsible for keeping the scrolls and they held seats on the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the Jews. The people believed their interpretations had authority. The scribes taught by citing the opinions of various religious leaders that had been passed down through the years appealing to their authority for validation. Jesus was different. He did not appeal to the authority of others when He taught. He didn’t cite the opinions of rabbis or other religious leaders. He taught as One who knew what the Scriptures meant because He knew the very mind of God who inspired them. He wasn’t merely guessing or giving His opinion. He had been sent by God to teach them. “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.” John 3:34-35 LSB The people were accustomed to philosophical teaching that was often difficult to understand. Jesus’ teachings gave them insight not only into what the Scriptures meant, but how to apply it to their lives. He went beyond giving them the rules, to telling them about the purpose behind the rules. He taught that God is more concerned with the condition of their hearts than their outward behavior. This was radical teaching they had not heard before.
Jesus did not have what most would consider an authoritative personality. He was not loud and demanding. His authority didn’t come from physical intimidation, earthly power, or wealth. Jesus’ authority came from God and everyone who heard Him teach could sense it. They may not have fully understood what they were experiencing, but they knew that Jesus was different.
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