AUTHORITATIVE LOVE

Chris Berry

Central Truth

Jesus Christ is the ultimate authority.

"What is this? A new teaching with authority!" (Mark 1:27b)

Jesus Begins His Ministry

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand;^{1

1:15
Or the kingdom of God has come near} repent and believe in the gospel.”

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”^{2

1:17
The Greek word anthropoi refers here to both men and women} 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Spirit

21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 “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.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

Footnotes

[1] 1:15 Or the kingdom of God has come near
[2] 1:17 The Greek word anthropoi refers here to both men and women

There are just some leaders for whom you will give your life. I had such a commander while I was serving in the Army in Bosnia. We young lieutenants would have given our lives for him. I think our loyalty came out of our deep trust in his ability and courage. But, more importantly, it grew from our sense that he deeply loved us. It was not a soft kind of love, but the hard and authoritative kind that is necessary to turn scared, timid lieutenants into warriors. He loved us enough to build in us a strength to survive.

This kind of leadership trait can be distilled to a phrase: authoritative love. Americans are not fond of authority. But when you are in danger or suffering from oppression, a loving authority is exactly what you need to come to your rescue.

And authoritative love is what I see in Christ in our passage for today. He bursts onto the ministry scene with the stunning and bold, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15) There is no diplomacy or equivocation here, just authoritative proclamation. Immediately, He catches my attention.

Jesus moves on to call His first disciples, and there is such authority in Him that a mere “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17) is enough to convince them to leave everything on the spot. Then, He amazes the scribes and rebukes the evil spirits. Nothing can stop Jesus. I find my heart in sync with the gawking crowds, “What is this? A new teaching with authority!”

His words and deeds arrest my heart. Could this be the One with all power and authority, here finally to rescue me? Could this be the One to whom it is worth giving my life? My response has been to “repent and believe in the gospel.”

1. Do you see yourself as someone in need of rescue?

2. What is it about Jesus Christ that grants Him so much authority?

3. What can we learn from the first disciples' willingness to submit to Jesus' authority immediately?

FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. In verse 22, why were the people amazed at Jesus’ teaching?

2. Jesus taught with authority because He is God’s Son and was speaking truth! Where can you find truth?

3. Do you use truth when you are speaking to others?