What do you think of when you hear the word authority? Do you think of a king or queen asserting their power over their people? Do you think of a government of a nation? Jesus wasn’t someone who got His authority from the people because of His position. What made Jesus different from every other human was His deity. He was God and man. This automatically gave Him authority over all of us.
What does this mean for us? The word authority means, “power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior,” according to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary. It also means “freedom granted by one in authority.” Both of these describe the authority of Jesus. He was granted all authority by God the Father, and He has the power to influence our thoughts, opinions, and behavior. We see this authority lived out when He was walking with His disciples. He exclaimed His authority to them through the scriptures and prophecies fulfilled; He then taught the Word of God and influenced their thinking, their opinions, and their entire belief system. There were some people who did not believe His authority: the Pharisees and Sadducees. They plotted to kill Him for His proclamations and influence on the people. Although they studied the Word of God, they did not believe what it said about Jesus in the Old Testament. They did not believe that Jesus was who He said He was and had the authority that He said He had.
What about you? What do you believe about the authority of Jesus? Has He influenced your thoughts, opinions, and beliefs? Or are you more persuaded by the world? Take some time to reflect on your relationship with Jesus today.