February 2, 2015

Mark 1:22 the people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.

Last night was the Superbowl. In case you missed it, the Patriots won in the last minute by intercepting a pass when the Seahawks were only a few yards away from a go ahead touchdown. I won’t listen to the sports talk stations today because the hosts and all those who call in will be constantly complaining about how dumb the Seahawks were to call that play. All these folks who never played the game, at that level at least, are now authorities on coaching. I know it is part of the fun of being a fan, but it is not part of the fun for me to listen to these self-inflated know-it-alls. Of course football and Superbowls are not the only place this occurs. We all know people who are self-appointed authorities in many areas of life and who seem to enjoy nothing better than to share their, often disparaging, opinions with anyone who comes within hearing range. Let’s face it, we have all been that person ourselves at times. So, was Jesus one of these bigmouths? I don’t think so. The word “authority” comes from the same root as “author.” The one who originates the work is the one who has the knowledge and the right to make definitive comments about it. Jesus convinced people that he was authoritative because he was intimately connected with the author, in fact that, in some mystifying way, he was the author himself- the creator of the world. He was either someone to be reckoned with or he was the biggest blowhard of all time. Which will he be for you this week? (They should have run Marshawn Lynch up the middle!)