There was something peculiar about Jesus. Something different, something the people were not used to. Mark said the difference was authority.
Now the people had authorities. There was the oppressive rule of the Roman Empire. Caesar definitely had authority. The Jewish teachers of the Law claimed to have an authority on the Scriptures. They made a long list of rules to obey. But Jesus made his listeners rethink the word authority.
Let's rethink the word authority. Author-ity. The root wood of authority is author.
Who can interpret a book better, someone who has read it or the very person who wrote it?
The author.
Jesus taught not as if he had a grip on reality, as a good teacher might, but as the author of reality. And there is only one Author, one True authority on reality.
Moreover, Jesus is that reality, the very essence of existence. He is the stuff that "holds all things together" (Colossians 1:17). Jesus is the words of God. The spoken creation (Hebrews 2:10). He was there when it started (John 1). He is what was started (John 14:6).
Before Jesus came, all we had were the words of teachers of the law. The insufficient human language. All we could do was grasp for the Truth.
But the Truth took on skin. Reality walked with us. And some recognized His author-ity.
Do we see the difference? The peculiarity of Jesus' teaching?
Some say that this teaching, this Way, is still alive. That when you pick up the Bible and read the words of Jesus, you can actually hear the words of Jesus. The words come alive. Reality talks with us.
The author.
Jesus taught not as if he had a grip on reality, as a good teacher might, but as the author of reality. And there is only one Author, one True authority on reality.
Moreover, Jesus is that reality, the very essence of existence. He is the stuff that "holds all things together" (Colossians 1:17). Jesus is the words of God. The spoken creation (Hebrews 2:10). He was there when it started (John 1). He is what was started (John 14:6).
Before Jesus came, all we had were the words of teachers of the law. The insufficient human language. All we could do was grasp for the Truth.
But the Truth took on skin. Reality walked with us. And some recognized His author-ity.
Do we see the difference? The peculiarity of Jesus' teaching?
Some say that this teaching, this Way, is still alive. That when you pick up the Bible and read the words of Jesus, you can actually hear the words of Jesus. The words come alive. Reality talks with us.
