AS WITH
AUTHORITY
Given
the numerous abuses of authority and power which have come to light during the
recent decades in our society it is perhaps understandable that we have become
increasingly cynical and wary of authority. Indeed, if we look just at the political
scandals in our country such as Watergate, the Iran-Contra affair, the trials
and tribulations of the Clinton administration, and more recently the ethical
and legal problems of our congress to name just a few, it is easy to see how we
have become quite jaded about the notion of authority.
While the
examples I just mentioned are secular, of course the church has also had its
share of scandals and embarrassments during the last few decades. The PTL
debacle of the 80’s, the ups and downs of other neo-conservative televangelists
such as Jimmy Swaggert, and much more recently the disturbing and troubling
revelations of sexual misconduct by Roman Catholic priests. Moreover, the sexual
misconduct by these priests was further compounded by the equally disturbing
and troubling cover-up attempts by the Roman church’s hierarchy. In fairness,
we must also mention that numerous Protestant clergy (including Presbyterians)
have also violated the trust of the people they serve by engaging in immoral
and unethical behaviors. These are just a few examples of the abuse of and
misuse of authority in the name of faith which have served to color our
negative understanding of authority.
If we then
add into the mix our contemporary proclivity toward skepticism in almost every
area of life, the net result is that the whole concept of authority has become
something that we are profoundly uncomfortable with. Today, in both the secular
environment and within the church itself, we are by nature fundamentally
suspicious of authority.
However, this
pervasive attitude of distrust toward authority is a relatively new phenomenon
in our culture. It is only about 40 years old, dating back to the socially
turbulent 1960’s. Indeed, in contrast to our current cultural situation, Tom Brokaw
in his book, “The Greatest Generation” points to the fact that one of the
defining characteristics of the generation which came of age during the 1930’s
and 1940’s was their willingness to submit to authority, and to properly
exercise it. Brokaw also points out that this characteristic is not present to anywhere
near the same degree in the generations which have followed.
This
aversion to the whole notion of authority is a primary obstacle blocking us
from hearing the truth from a gospel passage such as the one before us this
morning. Indeed, our aversion to authority can be seen in both our reluctance
to both submit to authority and to exercise it.
When we
read that Jesus exercised authority over the demon within this man who was at
the synagogue at
You see, it
is one thing for us to profess that Jesus Christ has power and authority.
However, to make the next step and claim that scripture also teaches us that
we, as his disciples, have also been granted similar authority makes us immediately
uncomfortable. That is a step we are reluctant to take.
Yet, as
disciples of our Lord, scripture teaches us that we are made one with Christ. Matthew
16:19 clearly states that we in the church have been given the power to bind
and loose on earth in the name of Christ. In fact it is one crucial aspect of the
promise of our baptismal identity that we are in Christ and that we have been
bound to him. In our baptism we are bound to Jesus Christ in both his death and
his new life. If that promise is at all meaningful, then, it must also be true
that we have been given a similar power over evil that Jesus exercised in his
ministry on this earth.
Here in
his first act of public ministry in Mark’s account of the gospel, Jesus
confronted and defeated evil. Clearly, our evangelist wanted his readers to
know that in the person of Jesus Christ God has brought into the world the
power necessary to confront and defeat evil.
As we look
closely at this passage, at first it may appear that the exorcism of the demon
is the primary point, but in reality the exorcism event in this story is
actually a tool to make a much larger, and from the view of Mark’s subsequent readers
an ultimately much more significant point; Jesus, and those who become a part
of him have the power and authority to defeat evil in the world.
As Mark described Jesus’ time in this
synagogue, he starts out by telling us that the crowd was “astounded” at Jesus’ teaching, writing in verse 22, “… for he taught them as one having
authority, and not as the scribes.” Yet, have you noticed something missing
in this story, Mark never tells us what Jesus was teaching that was so
astounding.
Then, in
verse 23 Mark turns directly to this exorcism event. Verses 23-26 are all about
the exorcism. Yet even in this, nothing is really said about the man possessed
by the evil spirit. No mention of his faith is made. No follow up profession by
the man after the demonic spirit leaves him is included. This whole encounter
is intended to teach us as the readers of this gospel something about Jesus: Jesus
has the authority and the power to control and destroy evil. Confronted by
the presence of Jesus, this evil spirit must leave the man.
The
passage then ends with the gathered crowd proclaiming amazement. They ask in
verse 27, “What is this? A new teaching –
with authority”. You see, the teaching that the crowd was so impressed with
was Jesus’ very presence. It was not his handling of the scriptures. It was not
his clever preaching. They were impressed not by the content of what he said –
but it was his very presence which communicated power and authority. Mark’s narrative
intent is clear, as his readers we are to understand that Jesus has the power
and authority to control and destroy evil in our lives.
In verse
22, when Mark describes Jesus’ teaching in contrast to the scribes he is
telling us that Jesus’ power is not dependent on anything. During this time in
history, the scribes in a synagogue were the “doctors of the law”. The scribes
had studied the scriptures. The scribes were learned men who exercised a
certain power and authority over what people should think regarding God.
However,
the Scribes authority, not unlike the power of academic biblical scholars
today, was not a living power. It was authority drawn from tradition and the
interpretation of what others had experienced as they had interacted with God. As
such, in and of itself theology is not a living power. It is reflection on a
prior experience of God. Mark wants us to know that Jesus’ power and authority
is alive. His power is not dependent upon the scriptures; it is not dependent
upon the tradition. Jesus has authority which is beyond the mere interpretation
of the past. Jesus’ power and authority comes from the present, it is alive and
at work right now. It is a power which can create a tomorrow full of promise.
In this
passage Mark wants us to know that in Jesus something new has emerged,
something that is not tied to the past. In verse 27 the crowd says, “What is this? A NEW teaching – with
authority. In the Greek the word Mark used for NEW does not mean recent in
time, but in fact means unprecedented or previously unknown. The teaching which
Jesus revealed is his power over evil in the world.
That power
is with us even today. It is present in you! It is present in me. It is present
in us in so far as we are in our Lord Jesus Christ! As we live in our
discipleship, we live as with authority. We have power and authority. It is not
our power, it is God’s power expressed through our faithfulness, but
nonetheless, it is power and authority. Indeed as disciples, we have the
authority to confront and destroy evil.
Yet, too
often, we shy away from what we have been given. We are suspicious of power and
authority, we are reluctant to embrace what God has given us.
We are often
fearful to confront evil, partly because we are so aware of how much evil we
still harbor within ourselves – our baptisms are not yet complete while we
still breathe. We are reluctant to combat injustice, partly because we are
keenly aware of how we have failed to deal justly with one another. In matters
of faith, we are often unwilling to act with power and authority, partly
because we are sensitive to our own doubts and insecurities.
Yet,
through baptismal identities we have been given the power and authority, in the
name of Jesus Christ, to bind and loose on earth. We have been given the power
and authority to interpret scripture – not as the scribes from a dead tradition
– but in a way that reveals the love of God given to us through Jesus Christ.
We are his disciples. We are his conduit to control and destroy evil in the
world.
It is our challenge to overcome our suspicions,
to rise above our disillusions with humanity, and to trust that we can live as
with authority. So may it be for us. Amen.
Reverend Marc V. Mason
January 29, 2006
Trinity Presbyterian Church
Travelers Rest, SC