“There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.”

Wow!  The resurrection.  Stunning.

One would assume that the angel rolled away the stone so that Jesus could get out.  Since we later see the resurrected Christ passing through walls or closed doors, it’s clear that Jesus didn’t need the stone rolled away for Him to exit the tomb.  The stone wasn’t rolled away so Jesus could get out.  It was rolled away so we could get in.  It was rolled away so the world would know “He is risen!”

I wonder if the earthquake was actually caused by the resurrection itself?  It’s not completely clear.  Did the angel cause the earthquake to remove the stone?  Couldn’t an angel possess the strength to move the stone without an earthquake’s assistance?

Just before reading of the earthquake, we read that the women were on their way to the tomb, wondering who would roll away the stone.  Did they feel the earthquake?  How much did they see?

I wonder who told the gospel writers about the earthquake, the angel with lightning-like appearance rolling away the stone and sitting on it, and the reaction of the guards?  Did one of the guards secretly believe and tell the disciples what had happened?  If so, you’d think we would read about it.  Were the women witnesses to all this?  It appears that when the women arrived at the tomb, the guards had already fled.  Did the angel tell the women or Peter and John?   We don’t know how this report was gathered.  Maybe it was the Centurion who stood by the cross and proclaimed “Surely this man was the Son of God” that discovered the truth from the guards and passed it on?  Maybe Jesus Himself had told the disciples?

From what Matthew records in Matthew 28:11-15 about the soldiers being paid off by the elders and chief priests to spread a rumor about the disciples stealing Jesus’ body, it doesn’t appear that any of the guards broke ranks and told the truth.

This is amazing to me.  How could these guards feel the earth quake and witness an angel rolling away the stone…  and NOT put their faith in the resurrected Christ?  What greater proof did they need?

Are you ever amazed when someone hears the gospel or sees God at work and doesn’t believe?  I am!  It’s almost as if some people refuse to believe.  They’ve made up their mind to not believe regardless of what they see or hear.

God draws men to Himself.  He woos.  He convicts.  But we must respond.  Sometimes I wonder, “How can anyone believe?”  Other times I wonder, “How can anyone not believe?”

One thing is clear though.  We, like the guards, are without excuse.  God has revealed Himself to us.  Those who don’t believe, like the guards, reject the truth God has revealed to them.   In doing so, they reject God Himself.

 

To learn more about Walking As Jesus Walked and Discipling As Jesus Discipled, visit:  SONLIFE.COM

What Jesus asks of us is usually pretty simple.  Easy?  Not always.  Simple.  Yes.

Jesus approached Jerusalem.  It was Passover week.  As they approached Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jeaus gave these instructions to two of His disciples.

“Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden.  Untie it and bring it here.  If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back shortly.'”

Who were these two disciples that Jesus sent?

Peter?  John?  We don’t know.

What did the two disciples do?  Jesus’ instructions were simple.  Easy?  Take a colt from someone you don’t know…  without first asking?  I think even in that culture they might be suspected as thieves.

How would they respond?  Would they question Jesus?  Would they look for further clarification?  Would they drag their feet?  Would they knock on the door and ask for permission to take the colt?

“The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them”
Matthew 21:6

“Some people standing there asked, ‘What are you doing, untying that colt?’  They answered just as Jesus told them to, and the people let them go.”
Mark 11:5-6

Jesus’ instructions were simple.  The disciples response was immediate, unquestioning obedience. They did exactly what Jesus asked of them, when He asked them to do it. They spoke exactly as Jesus instructed them.

Obedience really is simple.  Easy?  No.  Simple?  Yes.

Just do and say what Jesus says, when He says to.

Obedience reflects trust.
Obedience demonstrates love.
Obedience proves we are His disciples.

I can’t call myself a Christ-follower…  and not follow.
A non-obeying disciple is an oxymoron.

Disciples follow Jesus.
Disciples do what Jesus did.
Disciples do what Jesus asks.
Disciples say what Jesus said.
Disciples say what Jesus asks.
Disciples offer Jesus their unconditional obedience.

Am I His disciple?

 

To learn more about Walking As Jesus Walked and Discipling As Jesus Discipled, visit:  SONLIFE.COM

The story of the Magi from the East who came to worship baby Jesus can get lost in the Christmas story.  Songs like “We Three Kings” paint a certain picture for us, and rightly so, the focus comes right back to Jesus.  That’s where they put their focus.  It’s where we should put ours as well.  But today, I’m choosing to look a little harder at these wise men.

First of all, while we are led to believe there were three, we’re never given a number.  We get the number three from the gifts they brought:  gold, frankincense and myrrh.   Also, we call them “kings,” when in fact they were Magi (where the words magic and magician come from), or wise men.  They were diviners, astrologers, reading the stars for messages from God.

They came from the East.  We don’t know exactly where, but speculation is that they came from Persia, modern day Iran.

The three gifts are viewed symbolically.

The Gold represents Royalty.  Jesus is King.
The Frankincense represents Worship.  Jesus is our great High Priest.
The Myrrh, used in embalming, represents Sacrifice.  Jesus is the Lamb of God.

Of the Magi, we read in Matthew 2:1-12 that they arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?  For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

These Magi must have studied the prophecies of the coming of the Messiah.  They were looking intently for Him.  The star was their confirmation.  He is here!

I love the response of the Magi to the star.

They SEARCHED.
They BELIEVED.
They FOLLOWED.

Their example is one all seekers must emulate.

“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure.  Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him.  Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.”

Overjoyed beyond measure!  Is that how I feel about Jesus?

Falling to their knees!  Is that how I respond in His presence?

They worshiped Him!  Is that how I choose to live each day?

They opened their treasures!  Is that how I prioritize what I treasure?
My time, talent and treasure…  do I lay it at Jesus’ feet, offering Him my all?

Overjoyed beyond measure, on my knees, worshipping, laying what I treasure at Jesus’ feet.  That’s how I want to live today!

 

 

Indignant  -adjective
feeling, characterized by, or expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base. 

What makes me indignant?  Do my feelings mirror those of Christ?

There are only two times in the gospels (NIV translation) where it speaks of Jesus being indignant.  Certainly there were more than two occasions where Jesus felt this emotion.  Wasn’t it indignance He felt when He turned the tables of the money changers over and chased them out of the temple… twice?  Wasn’t it indignance He felt when He rebuked the Pharisees with seven woes?  Yet only twice do the gospel writers say Jesus was indignant.

While Matthew and Luke use the word to describe the feelings of the disciples, Pharisees and synagogue leaders, only Mark records Jesus being indignant.

Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”
Mark 1:41

When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
Mark 10:14

Two times we read of Jesus being indignant.  Both times it is because people were being prevented from coming to Him.

The man with leprosy was a social outcast.  He wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near Jesus.  Timidly, but desperately, he asked, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”  It says Jesus was indignant.  Who was He indignant with?  The man with leprosy?  I don’t think so.  The onlookers who stood there with disgust on their faces?  Probably.  The injustice of a system that would treat a person in need of grace and compassion with fear and rejection instead?  Definitely!

Indignance drove Jesus to action.  He reached out His hand and touched the untouchable.  “I am willing.  Be clean!”

Passover week was fast approaching.  Thousands were making their way to Jerusalem for the festivities with family in tow.  Parents were bringing their little children to Jesus for Him to bless them.  The disciples chased them away.  In their minds, Jesus shouldn’t be bothered with little children.  He had important Messiah stuff to be doing, right?

Jesus again was indignant.  Don’t stop anyone from coming to me, especially the little children!

Indignance drove Jesus to action.  He took the little children in His arms, placed His hands on them, and blessed them.

Jesus became indignant when religious types shut out those who needed Him.  When grace and compassion are needed, but instead fear, rejection or ambivalence are given, indignance is in order.

And when indignance is in order, it’s not meant to be bottled up.  What’s bottled up turns sour.  Indignance is meant to be a fuel for righteousness.  Indignance must ignite action, or it will burn us up inside.

What makes me indignant?

Does my indignance drive me to action?

 

To learn more about Walking As Jesus Walked and Discipling As Jesus Discipled, visit:  SONLIFE.COM

What would Jesus think?  Was the world He lived in as crazy as ours?  I’m reading the Gospels this morning, but my mind can’t stop thinking about the bloodshed in Baton Rouge.

Another senseless killing of police officers.  First, five gunned down in Dallas.  Now three in Baton Rouge.  And this right on the heels of the Islamic Jihadist terrorist attack killing 85 on Bastille Day in Nice, France.  Oh, and of course the coup attempt in Turkey where at least 265 were killed.  Over 200 people were killed by an ISIS suicide bomber in Baghdad and another 40 in Balad, Iraq. And then there was the bombing in the Istanbul airport that killed 36 people.  And the gunman in the Orlando nightclub that killed 49 people.  And the terrorist attack in the Brussels airport that killed 32 people.  And the coordinated terror attack throughout Paris that killed 147 people.  And the Jihadist couple in San Bernadino that shot and killed 14 people.  And…

So much violence.  So much death.  All fueled by a boiling cauldron of hatred.  Muslim extremists hate Christianity, the nation of Israel, the West and everyone who sympathizes with us.  Black Lives Matter hates law enforcement.  We’re at war with ISIS.  Where will the Islamic Jihadists strike next?  We’re at war within.  Where will the next ambush take place?

In the midst of all the hatred and violence, it’s easy to throw up our hands and scream, “What’s this world coming to?  This is hopeless!”

What’s this world coming to?  Well, we know what this world is coming to.  We’ve read the end of the story.  It will go from bad to worse.  There will be wars and rumors of wars.  There will be no real peace until the Prince of Peace returns.

Our hope is not in our economic strength.  Our hope is not in our military might.  Our hope is not in our great government.  Does anyone really believe Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton can lead us out of this mess?  Our hope is not in the values and ideals of America and its people.

Our hope is in Christ!

Jesus infuses hope into what otherwise seems like a hopeless cause.

Lazarus was dead.  Four days dead.  That’s pretty hopeless.  But what did Jesus tell Martha?

“Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

Jesus could have healed Lazarus from his sickness.  He could have returned before Lazarus died.  He could have performed a long distance miracle.  He didn’t though.  He delayed His return.  He let Lazarus die.  Why?  Because when the situation is most hopeless, when it’s beyond our control and we’re helpless to change the outcome, that’s when God gets the most glory.

Death was no match for Jesus!  

“Lazarus, come out.”

Death was no match for Jesus!

“He’s not here.  He is risen!”

Hopeless?  Never!  Not with the guy who conquered death.

My faith is in Him.  I’m ready to see the glory of God.

As hopeless as the world around us looks, it feels like we’re primed for a miracle!

 

To learn more about Walking As Jesus Walked and Discipling As Jesus Discipled, visit:  SONLIFE.COM

The truth will set you free!

These are powerful, oft repeated words.  We find them in John 8:32.  Jesus was speaking to Jews who had just heard His teaching during the Feast of Tabernacles and believed in Him.

Even as He spoke, many believed in Him.  To the Jews who had believed in Him, Jesus said, “If you hold to My teaching, you really are My disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.  Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys My word will never see death.”
John 8:30-32,51

At first glance, it might appear that Jesus is promoting obedience or commitment as the means of salvation.  One could certainly argue from words like these that Jesus expects us to make Him Lord of our life if we are to truly be saved.  But is that what Jesus meant?

What were these Jews in bondage to?  What did they need to be set free from?

They were in bondage to sin, yes.  Jesus said as much.  “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”  But how would truth set them free from sin?  They lived in a religious system that put them in bondage to the Law.  They were slaves to the Law.  They couldn’t keep it perfectly, so they were condemned by it.

Would it make sense, then, for Jesus to replace a strict keeping of the Law of Moses with a strict adherence to His own teaching as the means of salvation?  In the Apostle Paul’s words, “God forbid!”

These Jews have just “believed in Him.”  What does that mean?  Based on John’s use of the word ‘believe’ we must assume that these Jews had placed their faith in Jesus as their Messiah.   But if that’s the case, why does the conversation go the direction Jesus takes it from here.  He calls them “children of the devil” and tells them “they do not belong to God.”  Is this because the crowd is mixed?  Some have believed, some have not?  And by the end of the conversation, they are picking up rocks to stone Him for blasphemy because He claimed to be God, saying, “Before Abraham was born, I AM!”

Remember, in John 6 many disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.  Did He have them in mind when He spoke to this group?

“If you hold to my teaching, you really are my disciples.”

Can we make a distinction between “believer” and “disciple?”  Did Jesus make a distinction between the two?  He certainly never seemed to be concerned with just getting people saved, making converts.  His chief aim was to make disciples.  That begins with conversion, but it doesn’t end there.

It must be asked, what is the truth Jesus speaks of here, and what is that truth setting us free from?

In John 8:51, Jesus says, “Whoever obeys my word will never see death.”  Because Jesus says “word” and not “words” I believe He is speaking about a singular part of His teaching and not all of His teaching.

In Matthew 7:24, Jesus concludes His Sermon on the Mount by saying, “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house upon the rock…”  “Words.”  Plural.  The totality of His message.

But here in John 8, “word.”  Singular.  A specific message.  Jesus’ specific message here is about His identity and His purpose.

“When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be…”
John 8:28

The phrase “lifted up” refers to how Jesus will die.  It is a phrase Jesus uses with Nicodemus in John 3.  It is a phrase that refers back to Moses lifting up the snake in the desert…  a statue of a snake atop a pole that the Israelites were told to look upon to live after they’d been bitten by venomous snakes.

The singular message, the “word” they are to obey, is the message of the cross.  To Nicodemus, Jesus said, “You must be born again.”  Would he obey by placing his faith in Jesus sacrificial death on the cross?  Would he “look up?”  Will they?

 

To learn more about Walking As Jesus Walked and Discipling As Jesus Discipled, visit:  SONLIFE.COM

Troubling words.

“From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.”

Many questions.

How could a true disciple stop following Jesus?  Or does this mean they weren’t true disciples?

Who were these disciples that turned away from Jesus?  How long had they been following Him?

Had these disciples placed their faith in Jesus?  Were they saved?  Does this mean they forfeited that salvation?

What was it about Jesus’ words that were so hard to accept?  What am I missing here?

Jesus told them He was the Bread of Life.

“Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day.”

Did they really think Jesus was speaking literally?   Did they think He was advocating some form of cannibalism?  Or was there some cultural context for His words that I don’t yet grasp?  Was this just another way of Jesus saying, “take up your cross, deny yourself and follow me?”

What is clear.

Because this is recorded in John’s gospel, the last of the four to be written, we have to assume that to John’s knowledge this decision on their part was permanent.  His gospel is written 50 or so years after this incident.  Most who had turned away, if not all, were already dead at the time John wrote.  He says, “From that time… they no longer followed…”  The resurrection didn’t change their minds.  Peter’s preaching at Pentecost didn’t change their minds.  Were they like the seed cast on thorny soil from Jesus’ parable of the four soils?

This was a pivotal time in Jesus’ ministry.  We’re about 30 months into His ministry.  Jesus has appointed the Twelve.  He’s sent them out two by two.  John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, has been murdered, brutally beheaded. The disciples have returned from their mission trip.  Word has spread, resulting in Jesus feeding the 5000.  Then Jesus comes to His disciples, walking on the water.  Jesus has just made a strategic shift.  He had been doing all the ministry, but now He equips and empowers His disciples to do the ministry without Him by their side.

Those who deserted Him here weren’t among the Twelve.  Oh, but they must have been there when the Twelve returned from their mission trip.  The Twelve didn’t desert Jesus (at least not yet).  Was it because they had not only seen Jesus perform miracles, but they had now had the first hand experience of God doing miracles through them?  Sent out two by two, they preached, healed the sick and cast out demons.  They held baskets in their hands that had bread and fish multiplying before their eyes like some crazy magic trick.

What role does experiencing God as He works powerfully through us to impact others play in a person owning their faith?  I know how significant it’s been in my own faith journey.  God working in and through me fuels my confidence and fortifies my commitment.

“From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.”

Biggest question.

How do I keep this from happening to me?   How do I keep this from happening to my children?  How do I keep this from happening to my own disciples?

I can’t help but think that these feint-hearted followers were more focused on themselves and on what they could get from Jesus rather that on Jesus Himself.  Maybe it was physical healing they wanted most?  Maybe it was political power they wanted most?  Maybe it was prosperity (abundant food) they wanted most?  They obviously didn’t want Jesus for who He was.  They only wanted the sizzle, not the steak.

The Apostle Paul’s words ring in my ears:

“But whatever was to my profit, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.  I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

I WANT TO KNOW CHRIST!!!!!!!

 

To learn more about Walking As Jesus Walked and Discipling As Jesus Discipled, visit:  SONLIFE.COM

Have you ever noticed how strongly your own context colors the way you see scripture?  Maybe this is one of the reasons why we can read the same passage of scripture a thousand times and still see something new on the thousand and first reading.

Just before Jesus feeds the 5000, we read:

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all they had done and taught.  Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, “Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”  So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place… 

And then after feeding the 5000:

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowd.  After He had dismissed the crowd, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray.  Later that night, He was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.  Shortly before dawn, He went out to them, walking on the lake…

A few things that stand out to me on this “thousand and first” reading.

1.  It had been a very busy season of ministry for Jesus and the disciples (they reported to Him all they had done and taught).

2.  The needs of the people never seem to go away.  There’s always another need (feeding 5000 people).  What an exhausting thought!

3.  Jesus modeled rest and prioritized it for the disciples (“Come with Me by yourselves…”).

4.  Jesus spent a significant amount of time alone.  He went “by Himself” and “was there alone” in a solitary place on the mountainside, arriving in the evening and not leaving until just before dawn.

As I reflect on the priority of rest in Jesus’ life and ministry, a few questions have to be asked.

Do I let the “tyranny of the urgent,” the needs around me, rob me of rest?

Do I prioritize true rest?  Does my version of rest include silence and solitude?

Do I push the pace, crowd the agenda, and overextend those I lead, robbing them of rest?

Rest.

We live in a culture that doesn’t prioritize it. We live in a culture that celebrates and rewards those who do more, better, faster.  We brag about our busyness as if it were a badge of honor.  We load up on coffee, energy drinks and supplements to push through when we’re tired.

Maybe cultures who slow down for an afternoon siesta know something we don’t.  Maybe it’s time to better prioritize…

REST!

We need it.
God ordered it.
Jesus promised it.

I think I’ll take a nap 🙂

 

To learn more about Walking As Jesus Walked and Discipling As Jesus Discipled, visit:  SONLIFE.COM

Reading through the Gospels, especially the Gospel of Mark, you get the sense that Jesus’ life was fast-paced, full of the hustle and bustle demands of being the long awaited Messiah.  But was it?

What did the rhythm of Jesus’ daily routine look like?  How close does the rhythm of my daily routine mirror that of Jesus?

The past several days have been crazy.  Our house has been in chaos.  The AC went out upstairs so all eight of us were sleeping downstairs.  No big deal, except all but one of our bedrooms are upstairs.  No big deal, except our kitchen has been under construction from water damage we had six months ago.  Insurance has finally gotten around to fixing the damage, a true blessing because we get new cabinets and countertops out of the deal.  But with everything from the kitchen in the living room and office, that doesn’t leave much room for eight people to sleep.  The last three days, from morning to night, I’ve been dealing with contractors and helping put the house back in order.

Everyone is off to bed now, the house is quiet, and finally I’ve plopped down on the couch for a moment of rest.  The fog of chaos has lifted.  I feel like I can breathe.  I wonder if Jesus ever felt this way?

In reading the Gospels this morning, one phrase lept off the page at me.  See if you can guess which one…

That day when evening came, He said to His disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”  Leaving the crowd behind, they took Him, just as He was, in the boat.

What’s your guess?

“Leaving the crowd behind!”

Right now, that sounds amazing.  For me, I’d reword it “leaving the chaos behind!”

A significant part of the rhythm of Jesus’ life was “leaving the crowd behind.”  Jesus regularly slipped away to a solitary place to pray.  Jesus had His garden hideaway in Gethsemane.  Jesus would get in the boat with the disciples to leave the crowd behind.  Jesus would climb a mountain to an isolated location to meet with the Father.

Silence is good.
Slow is good.
Solitary is good.
Still is good.
Simple is good.
Sleep is good.

Rest.
We need it.
God ordered it.
Jesus promised it.

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28

 

To learn more about Walking As Jesus Walked and Discipling As Jesus Discipled, visit:  SONLIFE.COM

With Jesus’ words and actions, there seemed to be a direct correlation between Amazement and Authority.  People were frequently amazed by Jesus, and more often than not, it was His authority that amazed them.

Jesus exercised this authority when He taught, when He cast out demons, when He forgave sin, when He laid down His life and took it up again.

Jesus exercises this authority when He judges, when He condemns to Hell, when He overcomes the enemy, when He grants eternal life.

Consider the times it was recorded that Jesus exercised His authority:

“…because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”  Matthew 7:29

But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”  So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.”  Matthew 9:6

“When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.”  Matthew 9:8

“Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.”  Matthew 10:1

Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”  Matthew 21:23

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”  Matthew 28:18

“The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.”  Mark 1:22

The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.”  Mark 1:27

“But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man…  Mark 2:10

“…and to have authority to drive out demons.”  Mark 3:15

“Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.”  Mark 6:7

“By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”  Mark 11:28

And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.”   Luke 4:6

“They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority.”  Luke 4:32

All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!”  Luke 4:36

“But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”  So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”  Luke 5:24

“When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases…”  Luke 9:1

“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”  Luke 10:19

“But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.”  Luke 12:5

“Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”  Luke 20:2

The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”  John 2:18

“And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.”  John 5:27

Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him…”  John 7:28

“No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”  John 10:18

“Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.”  John 14:10

“For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.”  John 17:2

The people were amazed by Jesus’ authority.  The Pharisees condemned Jesus for claiming authority they believed belonged to God alone.

When Jesus humbled Himself and took on the very nature of a servant (Philippians 2), He yielded the right to exercise His own authority.  Any authority Jesus now exercised would be delegated from the Father.  “I do nothing on my own.  I only do what I see the Father doing.”  Jesus operated in the Spirit’s power under the Father’s authority.

The Father delegated authority to the Son.  The Son has delegated authority to His disciples.  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore, go and make disciples!”

As a disciple, what spiritual authority do I have?  Jesus gave His disciples the authority to drive out demons, cure sickness, trample on snakes and scorpions, overcome the enemy, make disciples, baptize, teach.

As a disciple, how do I operate with the authority that’s been delegated to me?  I operate in faith.  “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed…”  I operate in obedience.

As a disciple, am I accessing the full authority that’s been given to me?  

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”  John 14:12

 

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