By whose Authority?

Deuteronomy 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 1:21-28

How many SPAM emails a day do you get? I don’t know about you, but I delete them because I don’t trust the sender of the email!

How many phone calls or texts or postcards do you get during election season for any given candidate? How many of the candidates do you trust?

How many TV preachers have you heard? How many of them do you trust?

You may remember an old TV commercial that said, “When EF Hutton talks, people listen.”

Don’t you always want to know who said what before you believe what they are saying? I want to know the source of their information and what they are doing with it for anyone who calls, texts, emails, or appears on TV or the computer.

“By whose authority?” is the theme for today’s readings.

As people look ahead to the end of Moses’ life, they want to know who will be next to lead them. Moses has been the leader for many decades, and they are feeling anxious about their future. To whom has he granted authority? It will be Joshua, once Moses dies. We know that, because it happened in the past and was recorded in scripture.

But before that happens, Moses wants the people to know that future leaders should put God first, and allow God to speak through them. Moses calls the future leaders “prophets”. A prophet is someone called by God to speak God’s words to God’s people. The right leader, the right prophet, will carry God’s authority for leadership.

The words of a prophet may be suitable for later use, but they were first spoken in a particular moment for a particular group of people experiencing a particular situation. A perfect example is the way we are using Moses’ words today to remind us that trustworthy leaders should be led by God.

… The issue addressed by Paul is also about authority, but in a different way. The concern is that in Jesus’ and Paul’s time in Rome, in Corinth, and elsewhere in the ancient world, there were daily sacrifices of animals for one deity or another. The meat is used by the temple staff, then the rest is offered to the general public for their consumption. It is often the only meat available in a town.

The question becomes, if Christians eat this meat, are they dishonoring Jesus? Paul explains that because these deities don’t really exist, it is ok to eat such meat. But some believers, especially newer believers who used to worship these very deities, may be confused about this. So, it is better not to eat meat.

Here, Paul is one authority, and the members of the Christian community are the authorities in their own community. They know best how the members will perceive the eating of such meat.

… The big question, or course, is from whence comes Jesus’ authority? We know today it comes from God Most High. But, as Jesus walks through one town after another, casting out demons and healing the sick- the lame- and the blind, people wonder by whose authority he does these things. If only God can forgive, just who does “this Jesus” think he is?  A modern, snarky question might be, “Who died and made you God?!”

We in the US are accustomed to granting authority to elected officials, even if we didn’t vote for them. We in the Lutheran church are accustomed to granting authority to bishops and pastors. We give them power as described in various governing documents, which also limit their power.

The people of Jesus’ time were accustomed to granting authority to God, and limited authority to the leaders of the day: Pharisees, scribes, and rabbis who were able to interpret God’s words in Scripture for them.

Never before Jesus has anyone spoken about scripture, or about God, without referencing what others have already said. Rarely would they have expressed a new interpretation of an ancient law. But this is just what Jesus does. And he speaks it with the voice of authority.

The people listening to him are amazed, both at the content of his preaching and teaching, and at the authoritative voice with which he speaks and acts. Some are threatened by him, and see in him an abuse of authority. Some reject him outright and dismiss him as a false prophet who has absolutely no authority.

And the demons recognize him for who he is – the holy Son of God! This is especially true in Mark’s gospel. The disciples never seem to figure it out, but the evil ones know exactly who he is.

… When I think of authority, I usually reflect on it through the lens of my Scandinavian heritage. Anyone claiming or using too much authority is seen as “uppity.” I am reminded of one of the options for the absolution by the pastor after the community confession. It goes like this: “As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the forgiveness of all your sins.”

I know that I am authorized to use these words, and that some of you love to hear them because they have meaning for you. But for me, they seem too uppity! It seems too close to claiming Jesus’ authority for my own, and I can’t do it. It feels like, “Just who does she think she is!?”

… Today, in addition to Holy Communion, we offer anointing and prayers for healing. I know many of you come forward to be anointed. Do you believe that Jesus can heal you? Or are you just hoping? … It’s good to trust that Jesus gives doctors and nurses the skill to discover what needs to be healed, the ways in which many diseases can be healed, and the authority to do so. And it’s also good to trust that God can heal our hearts even if our bodies are still filled with disease.

… Here are some things to ponder this week:

Just who do you think Jesus is? What authority does he have in your lives? What power does he have? What power do you grant him? What power do you keep for yourself? When you grant Jesus the power, do you reach out and grab it back? And then, why do you do that? I’ll bet it has something to do with trusting God to solve your problem your way instead of in God’s way. Let me know what you think! Amen