Inheriting Jesus’ Authority!

Sunday, January 28, 2024

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dt 18: 15-20; 1 Cor 7:32-35; Mk 1:21-28

This Sunday invites us to reflect on the source and objective of Jesus’ authority and, by extension, our authority that comes from our identity as Christians. 

In the Gospel, there are many expressions and words that denote Jesus’ authority: ‘Jesus taught them as one having authority’; people exclaim as they witness ‘a new teaching with authority’; the unclean Spirit asks Jesus – ‘What have you to do with ‘us,’? and ‘have you come to destroy ‘us’ (‘us’ is a comprehensive reference to the demoniac world and not just over the one unclean spirit); the unclean spirit declaring Jesus’ identity as ‘the Holy One of God’; Jesus ‘rebuking’ the unclean spirit; people’s reference to Jesus’ authority when they exclaim: ‘He ‘commands’ even the unclean spirits and they ‘obey’ him.’ 

The authority of Jesus is clearly established in the passage. Though Jesus as the ‘Holy One of God’ possessed unparalleled authority, what Jesus did with it leaves behind important lessons. There are three ways in which we find Jesus’ authority at work. 

Divine Authority: Jesus was more authoritative than the Scribes because they could only make references to God’s word. Whereas only Jesus – the Word proceeded from God as the Son of God – could be self-referential. Other prophets who spoke in God’s name always said, ‘Thus says the Lord.’ But only Jesus could say, ‘But I say to you,’ contrasting it with what they may have heard before. 

Charismatic Authority: Jesus’ authority also came from his personality, convictions, and mission. People could witness the newness of Jesus’ teaching. They could witness his power in the healing miracles. Moreover, Jesus lived his message by being merciful, loving, compassionate, and forgiving. All these were reasons for Jesus’ charismatic authority, which people could not witness in other religious leaders of the time. 

Moral Authority: The uniqueness of Jesus comes from his moral authority, which is best seen in his good and right actions. There is a saying: ‘If you have power, use it for the poor.’ Jesus did precisely that. Jesus manifested his authority in the way he intervened for others. For Jesus, restoring human dignity assumed greater importance than obeying laws that prevented such good works. That is why, even though it was a violation of the Sabbath Law, Jesus never hesitated to cure people, especially because it was about restoring human dignity. Jesus’ moral authority, which helped people understand God’s coming in their midst, threatened his opponents. One beautiful reference to the moral authority of Jesus is found in Acts 10:38: ‘Jesus went about doing good.’ 

The other two readings invite us to reflect on authority from different viewpoints. The first reading talks about a prophet deriving his authority from speaking in God’s name and speaking only what God has commanded him to speak. God’s intentions are always about human welfare. Hence, speaking in God’s name would mean communicating God’s expectations for human flourishing, especially by being good and holy. 

In the second reading, St. Paul understands Christian identity as a source of authority and wants it to be employed for the service of others. Insisting on singlemindedness in doing God’s mission, Paul insists on celibacy insofar as it can ensure undivided attention to serve God and humanity. Hence, it is not that Paul is against marriage, but he prioritizes God’s mission, which is to do good in His name, especially by making use of our authority as Christians. 

When others were making references to something good, only Jesus could say, ‘Follow me.’ It is equivalent to saying, ‘Be as I am’ or ‘Do as I do.’ 

When Jesus invited us to ‘do things in his memory,’ he wanted us to imitate the authority that emerged from his holiness and charisma.

As we reflect on authority, let us ‘be’ and ‘do’ like Jesus, who is the source and summit of our authority!

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar