October 29, 2015

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!” Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.” Matthew 7:24-29

“What then is authority? Authority is….something which remains unchanged, which one cannot acquire by understanding the doctrine perfectly. Authority is a specific quality which, coming from elsewhere becomes immediately apparent, when the content of the message or of the action is posited as indifferent.” Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) The Present Age, “For All The Saints” volume II, (p. 972)

Kierkegaard is stating something we all know to be true – when two people say something, and one has authority and one does not, if the message is the same, the one who carries the authority will be heard over the one without. Why? It is simple really, because they carry authority either through their position, their status, or their observed or presumed authority. For example, it two people preach the Gospel, one being a pastor set apart by the church, and the other a lay person, the pastor will be heard as having a more authoritative message – even if the message is the same. But if the pastor is known to be a hypocrite, then this damages his authority.

So why did Jesus carry authority over the Pharisees and the Scribes? Most likely it is because his deeds and his actions matched his words. He tried to live the words which he preached. He lived the life of the servant, serving others, not needing to be served, and the people knew he meant what he said – and thus it gave him authority.

If you live your life recognizing the authority of Jesus’ words and commands, then you will live a life that is built upon the rock of Jesus – and that makes us all wise.

Pastor Dave