By what authority do you teach? When you stop to think about it, that’s an interesting question. In today’s world, if you’re “ordained” by a religious body (say, Catholic, United Methodist, Lutheran, and so on), then you teach by the authority of that organization. Me? I just started teaching. Never thought about authority.
That question directed by the Jewish leaders (who were both religious and, in many ways, civil, leaders) to Jesus was what we call a loaded question. Jesus was openly questioning their authority. They thought they were just part of the leadership lineage that traced back to Moses. Somebody had to be in charge. Somebody had to oversee religious rites, tell people what was right, interpret God to the people. There had always been priests beginning when Moses appointed some. They were appointed to be part of that line of authority. They were essentially political leaders.
Mark says that this confrontation came the day after Jesus drove the commercial people out of the Temple. This was a revolutionary act directly affecting the income of the leaders–as well as their authority. So they asked Jesus by what authority he did that. But Jesus asked them about where John the Baptist derived his authority. Many people thought it came directly from God. But the leaders had opposed him.
Ah, here is where politics and religion meet the Spirit. If you are a leader and you want to maintain your authority, you begin to think like Mark reports. “If we say from man, the people will get mad at us. But if we say from God, then they’ll ask why we didn’t support him.” So, they didn’t answer. And that’s the problem with organizational leadership where people in power want to maintain power as their objective. This can happen at any level of any organization where someone gets comfortable and likes being in charge.
Jesus did not organize in that manner. His organization technique–one that is being emulated by many even in businesses today–is one of teaching, empowering, setting free. He gathered willing people to join him. Taught them. Gave them the power to act along with the foundation that would prepare them to act in a right manner. And eventually he set them free to lead themselves.
No matter where you are a leader–family, church committee, civic organization, political, denominational–think on these things. Are you in it for you? Or are you in it because God wants you to lead, teach, empower and set free?
Oh, Jesus authority? It came from God. By whose authority do you teach?
Tags: Leadership, lifestyle, spirit
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