Jesus Demonstrates Authority

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“And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:22).

Jesus was teaching in the synagogue and the scripture says that the people were surprised by his teaching. Their surprise related to his use of authority which was different from the scribes. I had to look up the role of the scribes to see what was so distinctly different, in the way that they taught. They are referred to as knowledgeable about the law and could draft legal documents. It was interesting to read that although the scribes were knowledgable about the law and scriptures, that the people viewed Jesus as demonstrating an authority which was different to theirs.

Later on in the story, there was a man with an unclean spirit who recognised Jesus and said, “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” (Mark 1:24). Jesus rebuked the spirit, commanded him to be silent and to come out of the man. The unclean spirit came out of the man at Jesus’s command. “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”” (Mark 1:27).

Jesus first demonstrated authority through his understanding of the word and he taught the people with boldness. He commanded a knowledge and interpretation of the scriptures, which was different than even the scribes who understood and practiced the law. Jesus then demonstrated authority over unclean spirits and used this authority to command them to leave the man alone.

We have the same authority which Jesus demonstrated and his promise is that we have the ability to do even greater works (John 14:12). The same power that lived in Jesus Christ and raised him from the dead lives in us. We have this power over every evil that lives in the world. We have the authority to command sick bodies to be healed and for people to be delivered and set free. “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you” (Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭19‬).

A.P.-Y.

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Published by Anneta Pinto-Young

I am a trained Social Worker who currently provides professional leadership on a programme to support Social Work students and Newly Qualified Social Workers entering the Social Work Profession. Born and raised in Jamaica in a Christian family where my father is an ordained Pastor and Deacon who has served for over 50 years in the ministry. My father is also a trained musician and our family can be described as a musical family. I grew up in a small farming community in St. Peter’s, St. Andrew and my parents also have a small farm. I credit my gift of writing to my father who I watched and listened to over the years as he wrote sermons, poems and other recitals in his capacity in ministry. English has always been an easy subject for me and over the years I have developed an increased interest in writing. I am a Trainer, I sing and have a passion for worship, the spoken word and the free flow of the prophetic anointing. I am married to my best friend Andrew Christopher Young who is an advanced Musician and whose music you can find on YouTube and Facebook. I am a trained Coach and Mentor and I love experimenting with food so I love cooking. I enjoy trying cultural dishes from across the world and I view food as an entry into cultures and languages.

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2 thoughts on “Jesus Demonstrates Authority”

  1. This reminded me of the verse that speaks of the wisdom that comes from God being very different from the wisdom of this world. In the same way, the authority that Jesus demonstrated was a result of knowing God rather than head knowledge of the scriptures as the scribes had.

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