The news was out. The teacher had returned home to Capernaum. In a crowded room, pressed one against another, lining the walls, even obstructing the doorway; the crowd waited expectantly. Not long after the teaching began, something unusual occurred. A paralyzed man, lying on a pallet, was lowered through the ceiling to the floor right in front of the teacher.
Unable to enter through the blocked doorway, four men had climbed the outside ladder to the roof of the house, dug a hole through the roof tiles and let down the paralyzed man into the room. They had not carried their friend on a mat these many miles only to be deterred. Hearing stories of the teacher healing multitudes, they were determined that their friend was going to walk home.
Undisturbed, the teacher ceased what He was saying, looked at the paralyzed man on the mat and spoke, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” The teacher’s words were as surprising as the paralyzed man’s unexpected entrance. If anything, the crowd, the four friends and the paralyzed man anticipated hearing, “Rise up and walk, you’re healed,” but not, “Your sins are forgiven.” The religious lawyers sitting in the room immediately began to object within themselves, thinking who but God can forgive sins? Who does this man think he is?
Always one step ahead, the teacher knew their thoughts and astutely asked, “Which is easier to say, your sins are forgiven’ or get up, pick up your pallet and walk? But so, you may know the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, I say, ‘Get up, pick up your pallet and go home (Mark 2: 1-11).’” The paralyzed man immediately got up, picked up his pallet and left the sight of everyone present—a stunning occasion.
SINGULAR
The religious lawyers were correct in one thing, no one, but God, could forgive sin.[1]
It was this issue that enraged the religious sect as Jesus on several occasions claimed equality with God.[2] In the opening chapter of his gospel, the apostle John leaves no doubt that Jesus was God. He says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).” It was His identity as God that cast Jesus’ words with authority. Certainly, no one else in that crowded room could have legitimately forgiven the man’s sins or commanded him to take up his mat and walk.
[1] Why can God alone forgive sin? The earth belongs only to God. It is His creation and He has sovereign rule over it, including its moral order.
[2] For instance, Jesus called Himself ‘I AM’, the hallowed name God had given Himself when speaking to Moses (John 8:58).
AUTHORITY
Authority doesn’t always sound like a friendly word, but like it or not, life cannot operate without authority. In the world, authority can appear with two faces, one welcoming and another bothersome, even threatening.
To be honest, even as believers, we don’t always welcome Jesus’ authority. We know that He is good and only does good (Psalm 119: 68), but what He wants is not always what we want. However, the more we understand Jesus’ authority and its purposes, the more appealing it becomes.[1]
[1] It seems when we run out of our own options we become more receptive (imagine that).
Delving into Jesus’ authority for this devotional, I began to develop a desire to have Jesus’ authority operating in my life. It became apparent that His authority could empower my prayers in ways I hadn’t previously experienced, change my outward circumstances, transform my heart, and give me greater access to all that He promises.
HIS AUTHORITY
Jesus did not hesitate to acknowledge the absolute authority given to Him by His Father. Early in His ministry, He said, The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand (John 3:35).” Near the conclusion of His time on earth, the disciples listened as He prayed, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him (John 17:2).”
And after His resurrection, He reassured His disciples of His complete authority saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).” Note that each of these statements contains the qualifier, all. Jesus’ authority covers not just some, even most, but all things.
Lord Jesus, praying in Your name is not a formality. Your name invests our prayers with power that comes from Your absolute authority. We would do well to remember this as we so often mechanically attach Your name to the end of our petitions.
I have sometimes wondered if You experienced any doubt that Your commands would be obeyed. As I have studied Your authority, I know now that doubt was never an issue. As the Messiah—the Son of God, You knew that You operated with absolute authority. Anyone could have blithely made similar claims and statements, but without the legitimate authority that backed up your words, they would have been meaningless. In that crowded room, no one, except You, could have commanded the paralyzed man to take up his mat and witness him walk out of the room.
As You sent Your disciples out to heal the sick, You knew they couldn’t heal anyone without Your authority; You thus, unhesitatingly, gave them Your authority. This was not only for the twelve; but You also give us Your authority, not to bend the world to our will, but to do as You did and exercise the Father’s will.
You did not send the disciples out the first week, only after they had watched You work numerous miracles, were they sent. Not everyone that followed You was a willing learner. Many left. The twelve disciples stayed with You even when they couldn’t understand. Eventually, You sent them out to use Your authority to heal sicknesses and proclaim the kingdom. Even though wildly successful their first time out, the disciples had to continue to learn. One experience was not the pinnacle. The need for perseverance, for instance, quickly became apparent when they unsuccessfully attempted to cast out a spirit of torment from a young boy and had to turn the boy over to You.[1]
[1] The well-known missionary to Mozambique, Africa, Heidi Baker, has seen many cases of blindness healed, but she relates that it took praying for a hundred or more-blind people with no results before she saw the first person gain their sight. What for Jesus was easy will not always be for His disciples but that does not change the game plan.
Lord Jesus, Your question for us is are we willing to learn? Will we allow You to teach us to use Your authority and see circumstances change, sicknesses healed, unbelief dispelled or will we, as many in Your day, just give up, complaining, ‘This is too hard’?
LOCKING & UNLOCKING
Jesus continued to school the disciples in the significance of exercising God’s authority on earth. Instructing them, He said, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matthew 16:19).” This was a strategy for using His authority to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth. It was a gift that came with responsibility as there are many situations which will not change unless we bring Jesus authority to bear on them. We are to use the keys to bind and loose or lock and unlock. The Holy Spirit will be our guide, teaching us how to speak Jesus authority over the things in our lives and the world that inhibit God’s will, binding and loosening ourselves from them.
THE PAINTING
Trees have verticality, shrubs do not. Subsequently, trees have an authority that shrubs lack. The twelve panels, some of which have tree-like forms, speak authority through uprightness. The repetition of verticality in each panel reinforces and magnifies this impression. Further, the authority of the painted forms becomes evident in the way the white spaces rely on them for definition. Rearrange the forms and the white spaces obligingly change.
Not all paintings are conceived to convey authority, but the present work was created with this in mind. Visual selections were made to articulate a sense of governance, weight and dominance. Authority in artworks or otherwise requires deliberateness. Choices must be made.
CHOOSING
The question becomes who will have authority in our lives? All authority belongs to God. “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it (Psalm 124:1).” Incredibly, He allows us to choose whether to say ‘yes’, accepting His authority as an invitation to live in relationship to Him and or to say ‘no’ refusing His authority and live outside of a relationship with Him.
His invitation is conceived in love. Just two of His many overtures, for example: “Unto us a son is given (Isaiah, 53:6).” And as Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).” Although these scriptures are overly familiar to many of us, the invitation still stands and our response will be the most important decision we will ever make.
Lord Jesus, You showed us the joy of living under the authority of our heavenly Father. You only did what the Father told You to do and You were the happiest man on earth.[1] Let this become the reality of our lives as we learn to trust the Father and delight in doing His will.
[1] But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God,has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” Hebrews1:8-9.
Sydney Walker, September 9, 2023
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