by Jacob Reeves
Synopsis: While many balk at the concept, the Scriptures repeatedly affirm that Jesus possesses all authority. He has the right to control our lives, the resources to command our obedience, and the power to punish rebellion.
Today, we have a problem with authority, do we not? For a moment, let’s forget the biblical concept and just think about our lives as Americans. We don’t like authority! Think about Merriam-Webster’s definition of authority: “the power to give orders or make decisions; the right to direct or control something.” Such language makes many folks cringe. We pride ourselves on being independent and in control. Take our current political climate, for example. The question of “government control” is a hot topic. We argue about how much authority the federal government should have in our lives. There are many discussions today about the role that the police (authorities) should play in our communities and lives. Many of us would complain if our employer seemed to be a domineering authority figure. We enjoy the feeling of being in control or having power in our daily pursuits. There is a separate discussion to be had on how the Christian should view authority outside of the church. My focus in this article is on the view that Christians should have of the ultimate authority figure, the Lord Jesus Christ.
In this series, we are discussing how to properly “Remember Jesus.” Let us remember the authority of Jesus. There are so many areas of application that we could consider, but I want to focus on three: (1) the authority of His teachings; (2) His authority as the Good Shepherd; and (3) His authority as head of the Church. Hopefully, this will spark beneficial thought on the proper view of the authority of Jesus Christ.
I believe that it is incredibly important to acknowledge the authority of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Firstly, what qualifies Jesus as being authoritative? After all, Jesus claims, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18, NKJV). He is qualified to make such an assertion because He is God (John 1:1; 10:30; Col. 1:15-18). If that isn’t a good enough qualification, then what is? Surely we can admit that the Creator possesses ultimate authority over all mankind.
Jesus is also qualified to have authority because He will be our ultimate judge (Acts 10:42; 2 Cor. 5:10). If we recognize that Jesus is qualified to be an authority figure, then what logically follows is that His teachings are also authoritative. All of His teachings are authoritative. This is where we run into some trouble. Many religious people do not have a problem with most of Jesus’s teachings. They are quick to commend passages such as, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matt. 7:1, NKJV), or His statement to the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you” (John 8:11, NKJV). They love passages such as John 15:9, or 1 John 4:19, which affirm the love that Christ has for us.
Sadly, many pick and choose the words of Jesus that they want to highlight—accentuating some, ignoring others. How many pull verses out without preaching the whole of Christ’s teachings? Consider the two passages I just referenced. Many emphasize verse 1 of Matthew 7 without acknowledging that verse 5 implies that you can judge others under certain conditions without being a hypocrite. What about the woman caught in adultery? Clearly, Jesus is not okay with her lifestyle. He tells her to go and “sin no more.” There are two important things there: first He tells her she is, in fact, sinning, and second that she should not do it anymore. If we are to understand the teachings of Christ as authoritative, that must include all of His teachings, even the ones that we may not like. This includes the teachings of Christ on the sin of unauthorized religious activities (Matt. 7:21-23), or God’s law on marriage and divorce (Matt. 19:3-9), which demands obedience from the reader. Both passages run completely counter to popular notions of our day, which claim, “Jesus loves me no matter what.” All of His teachings are authoritative.
We often study the “I am” statements of Jesus: I am the bread of life, I am the light of the world, etc. One of my favorite “I am” statements of Jesus is, “I am the good shepherd” from John 10 (He also says, “I am the true shepherd”). I believe that a shepherd is in a position of authority over his flock; and since that is my favorite “I am” statement of Jesus, I wanted to include it in this article.
Walvoord reminds us that the concept of shepherding a flock would’ve been easy to grasp for first-century readers. The shepherd/sheep relationship would be observed daily. The Bible uses the idea of a shepherd to refer to individuals in leadership positions: God in Psalm 23, the wise man in Ecclesiastes 12, Peter in John 21, or the elders in Ephesians 4. It is easy to see how a shepherd is in a position of authority. Sheep follow the shepherd upon hearing his voice (John 10:27). As the Good Shepherd, Jesus also provides a better quality of life for His sheep (John 10:10). There are echoes of this idea in the 23rd Psalm where the Shepherd leads His sheep to green pasture and still waters.
As a shepherd, Jesus is in a position of authority over His flock, but He will not force any sheep into His flock. Look at the conversation that Jesus has with the Jews in John 10, starting in verse 25:
Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”
If you deny the authority of Jesus, as these Jews did in John 10, you will not be in His flock. However, submitting to the voice of the Good Shepherd has a tremendous reward: “They may have (life) more abundantly” (10:10, NKJV).
The last aspect of Christ’s authority on which we focus is His role as head of the church (Col. 1:18; Eph. 5:23). In Colossians, Paul states that, in His role as head, Christ is “preeminent” (1:18), In the original, this means “to have the first place” (Thomas); in English, it is defined as “having paramount rank, dignity, or importance” (Webster). In Ephesians 5, Paul mentions how Christ, as the head, is the church’s Savior and that the church submits to Him. These and other passages clearly reveal Christ’s ultimate authority.
What do we do with this information? If we claim to follow Christ, let’s make sure we are looking to Him and His teachings for our direction. Do we elevate man to the status of Christ? Do we derive our direction (collectively and individually) from sources other than the New Testament? If so, we are not looking to the correct authority. “Any religious organization that exalts man and his authority to the place and preeminence of Christ Jesus cannot identify as the New Testament church over which Christ is head” (Wharton, 1987). If our direction as a church comes from the words of our head, then let’s read them ! I would hope this knowledge would cause us to want to value His words even more and consume them on a more frequent basis. Read His words daily and live by them!
As mentioned at the start of this article, many today have a problem with authority. Hopefully, this study helps us understand that Jesus Christ possesses all authority (Matt. 28:18-20). If we acknowledge this authority, we must submit to it. If you distort or ignore the words of Christ, you are not submitting to Him. If you choose to not live by His teachings, you are not submitting to Him. However, recognizing His authority and choosing to follow Christ has tremendous benefits. Our Lord said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28, NKJV). So, on whose authority do we pattern our lives? Christ’s! Let’s remember the authority of Jesus Christ.
“Authority.” Merriam-Webster.com. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/authority.
“Preeminent.” Merriam-Webster.com. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preeminent.
Thomas, Robert L. New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries: Updated Edition. Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998.
Walvoord, John. Jesus Christ our Lord. Moody Press, 1969.
Wharton, Edward C. The Church of Christ. Howard Publishing Co., 1987.
