Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Passage: Matthew 7:7-29
Focus: “…the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” Matthew 7:28-29.
Did Jesus just sound like He had authority, or did He really have authority? And if He had authority, how much did He have? Following the resurrection, Jesus stated emphatically, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18). You have to admit, ALL is a lot! An awful lot!
The measure of Jesus’ authority is profoundly described in Colossians 1:15-20. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
The Jesus of the Bible is anything but short on authority. I want to be long on submitting to His authority.