THE BEAT e140 Jesus Tells Us This: “Not so with you.” (be a servant)

This is Faith to Witness 99, motivating us to hear God and share the Shepherd.  

Season 2 Episode 140 

THE BEAT | Jesus Tells Us This: “Not so with you.” (be a servant)

Quick Take 

Hey human, let’s consider how the authority of Jesus was perceived, how he responded to it, and manifested his Father’s will in his earthly ministry. And think about this: How does his authority show up in my life? Your life, human? E140 Thanks for listening.

Can you define the authority of Jesus?

I’m Kathryn Bise, your host.

In episode 139 we imagined sitting with the disciples, taking instruction from Jesus as he prepared us to go out and witness for the first time. Without him. I can easily imagine saying to myself: “This is it. This is happening. I have been with the Son of Man as he navigates a Herodian world, with all the Greek moral and cultural influences. Walking with my Rabbi named Jesus, listening to him tell his Father’s story, no, fulfilling his Father’s story. Now, it is my turn to acknowledge him…” But I didn’t live in that time. I wasn’t a disciple. It doesn’t stop me from doing the work to go deeper into the life of Jesus.

For me, this reading of Matthew illuminated a spiritual thread about the position of authority, the value of it to the Jewish nation, and the rise of authority in Jesus’ life, how it played out with the Jewish community and leadership.

The Heavenly Authority Has Come to Earth

We jumped into the middle of the authority Jesus gave his disciples in chapter 10. But where did the question of authority start in the life of Jesus on his earthly walk? God ordained him during his baptism by opening the heavens and Jesus saw the Spirit of his Heavenly Father light on him like a dove.  And he heard his Father’s voice: “This is my Son whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

God leads with love, doesn’t he?

When did Jesus take his early steps toward manifesting his authority? When John the Baptist was imprisoned Jesus moved to Capernaum in Galilee. This was a diverse community, also populated by Gentiles.

Matthew 4:12-17

 

Jesus Begins to Preach

 

12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

 

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

    the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,

    Galilee of the Gentiles—

16 the people living in darkness

    have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of the shadow of death

    a light has dawned.”

17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

 

The divine authority, God, the Father, has come to earth to live among men. As a man. Fully human, fully divine.

The Will of the Father

And it is clear in this gospel that the focus of Jesus is on illuminating the kingdom of heaven and manifesting the divine authority with his earthly life.

Matthew 7:21

 

True and False Disciples

 

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

 

The progression of responses to the teachings and activities of Jesus exemplifies how authority must come before all else.

Let’s take a look at a few examples.

As One Who had Authority

Matthew 7:28-29 

 

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

 

Through healings, calming a storm, Jesus demonstrates his authority, as no man had ever done before him. To the point of evoking fear in the people when he cast out demons and ran a herd of pigs over the cliff. I might have felt the same. And not just fear, the invitation to sacrifice earthly gain.

Matthew 8:34

 

34 Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.

This jumps to the realm of dark, demonic, spiritual warfare. And the people did not want to be in the middle of it. But, oh the brave-hearted autonomy of this man, our Savior.

The Authority to Redeem

What is so powerful is how we see the dialogues about authority begin to deepen and build. Consider his conversation with the paralyzed man, and those watching:

Matthew 9:2-6

 

2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

 

3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”

 

4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 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.”

 

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

 

When he healed a paralyzed man, the people went from amazement at his teachings to praising God. They praised the source, their God, for the authority given to this man. But not yet called the Son of Man.

Jesus demonstrated his divine authority through his teachings (let’s not forget when he was twelve in the temple), his healings, his spiritual warfare and his ability to give it to others. Transcendence.

Authority is Gifted to the Disciples

In chapter 10, he does this:

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

He comes to such a resounding moment that captures and defines what being a witness is: to represent the authority of Jesus to forgive sins.

Matthew 10:32-33

 

32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

The Disciples Confirm His Authority

When we remind ourselves that God’s story about his Son, from gospel to gospel, is a narrative, we shouldn’t be surprised by what happens in chapter 16. Why? Because his disciples are witnessing all of it, and processing what it means, and coming to grips with who this man is. I am sure there were so many ebbs and flows to their believing, their trust, their seeking.

It’s a narrow road we walk with Jesus.

Matthew 16:13-16

 

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah

 

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

 

14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

 

15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

 

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

 

And the others followed. Making this claim, can only come from conviction of the heart. And for me, it triggers submission. To this divine authority. Repentance through his Son. To a Jew, it brings with it every prophecy fulfilled, having been memorized, lived by, challenged, and debated.

A Mother Tries to Leverage the Authority of Jesus

What happens in Chapter 20 drives the stake in the divine ground on who has the authority and the relationship between the heavenly Father and his Son.

And it powerfully illuminates the authority of Jesus to bring us into his Father’s kingdom. We drink from his cup. The suffering, the sacrifice, the salvation, and resurrection. And the Father decides who has this authority.

Matthew 20:23

 

23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

 

Jesus is telling the mother of James and John, do not try to leverage my authority for your human gain.

Ouch. Got it.

The Authority to Become a Servant

Matthew 20:25-26

 

25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

 

“Not so with you.” Jesus defines the purpose of authority. How to use the power we have in Jesus.

Be a servant.

Authority is Not To Be Squandered

Matthew 21:23-27

 

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

 

23 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?”

 

24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

 

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

 

27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

 

Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

 

It is clear that we do not come to the table with Jesus by being hypocritical, with an impure heart. It is powerful to see that Jesus does not squander his authority. Ever.

One Teacher, One Father, One Messiah

Matthew 23:8-12

 

8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

 

Seems the Jewish hierarchy had much to lose to drink from the cup of Jesus.

When Jesus was resurrected but not yet ascended, he met his 11 remaining disciples and told them this:

Matthew 28:18-20

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

In an article titled All Authority in Heaven and on Earth, by Roland Barnes, he says:

“Authority is the right to rule, to command, to govern. The Greek word exousia (x-oo-sia), which is translated as the English word authority in Matthew 28:18–20, literally means “that which arises out of being.” It is the right to rule that arises out of the present conditions (state of being) or relation in which one finds himself. A father has the right to rule by virtue of the God-ordained relation that the father has with his child. Jesus has the right to rule by virtue of His present state of being, or condition, as the victor over sin, death, and hell.”

Paul celebrates this in his letters to the Philippians and Ephesians. Go finding, human.

The Authority of Jesus in my Life

What was the reaction of the people, according to Matthew? It varied, and evolved, but it centered around his authority. His credentials. It evolves through Matthew.

First, people recognized that he had something beyond skills as a teacher.

Then, people were in awe and praised God, the source, for giving such authority to a man.

Then, his authority scared them, and they asked him to leave.

Then, the disciples are gifted his authority to serve the people. Again, scary.

Then, a mother tries to leverage his authority for human gain.

Then, the Jewish teachers and rulers challenged his authority.

And Jesus answered it all. With his life. By changing the lives of others.

Through his authority to forgive sin. Redemption was finally “near.” So close you could touch his robe.

Through divine authority that is sovereign. One Teacher, one Father, one Messiah.

If I have declared, if you have declared that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God, like Peter, how does his authority show up in my life? Your life, human?