January 29, 2006

Jesus teaches at the synagogue in Capernaum, and the people are amazed because he teaches with authority, not like the scribes. He then heals a man with an unclean spirit, and Jesus’ authority is confirmed.

We’re not told what Jesus taught in the synagogue that day. We don’t know what it was that initially signaled to the people that Jesus was a person with authority.
Let’s consider some ways that Jesus might have signaled to the people in the synagogue that he had authority.

Maybe he expressed his authority by talking very loud. Haven’t you met people like this? I served a bishop who used to signal that all discussion was over by increasing the volume of his voice. Some people attempt to win an argument through increasing the volume, don’t they? Usually, the weaker their argument, the louder these folks tend to get. But, I doubt if Jesus convinced the crowd in Capernaum of his authority by getting in a shouting match.

Or maybe Jesus did a bit of name dropping. We’ve probably all met people who use this technique to convince us they’re important. And, yes, this method also shows up in the church. Among the clergy, the biggest give away is when someone refers to the bishop by his first name. “I was talking to George the other day, and I told him…” Most folks are not too impressed by this method. Of course, Jesus had a pretty good name to drop…”I was chatting with God Almighty, creator of heaven and Earth the other day…” but I doubt if Jesus did that either.

Or, maybe Jesus impressed the people in that synagogue with his credentials. Those with graduate degrees often like to put lots of letters after their name on their business cards, in an attempt to let folks know that they are educated people. I used to put M.Div. after my name…master of divinity, but no one ever knew what it meant, so eventually I dropped it. If I was a doctor, and could put MD after my name nurse, or a nurse with a RN suffix, I might still do it. Imagine Jesus’ business card; Jesus the Christ, SOG. Now that would be impressive!

But, I doubt if Jesus used any of these methods to convince the Capernaum crowd that he was a person of authority.

Most likely, what Jesus used was a blend of four sources of authority;
The bible. Jesus knew the Hebrew bible well. He quoted it often. Some would say that the bible, the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian New Testament, should be our only authority. And, on many issues, that is true. Certainly on all essential things, all things necessary for our salvation, we need to accept the authority of the bible.

But then there’s all those other things in the bible that just aren’t very clear. The way the many Christian denominations differ is evidence that we all don’t interpret the bible to be saying the same thing. Some say that we should baptize babies. Others say we should only baptize adults. Some say a priest shouldn’t get married. Some denominations never allow instrumental music. All based on their understanding of the bible. Each denomination pile verse upon verse from the bible to prove that their way of being the church is the one that is “true to scripture.”
This is what the scribes of Jesus time did. They used biblical texts and saying from the rabbis to make complex rules that usually only they could understand. This morning’s Gospel tells us that Jesus teaching was not like that of the scribes. It appears that quoting bible passages was not the only way that Jesus expressed his authority.

Maybe Jesus taught with authority by revealing to that crowd God’s Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God dwelled within Jesus. He often expanded on the meaning of the scriptures. “And you have heard it said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy,' but I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Such inspiration would have to be seen as a manifestation of God’s Holy Spirit.

Or maybe it was Jesus’ use of reason that made his authority so obvious. Unlike the scribes, Jesus often used home grown stories that made sense to the people to make his points. They understood him, and heard the wisdom in his words.
Or maybe Jesus’ teaching passed the test of experience. Our past experience is certainly an authority for most of us. We know something to be true because we have tested it through experience. Jesus’ words rang true because those who heard them had experienced that truth.

Today, we can look for these same sources of authority to inform us on our spiritual journey. But I think we need all four. If we lean on the bible alone, we begin to treat the bible like an idol. If we depend just on the Holy Spirit, we might fall into the error of emotionalism. If we just use reason, we will fall into the maze called philosophy. And experience by itself is nothing more than humanism.
But, when combined, we can depend on scripture, the Holy Spirit, reason and experience to reveal to us what is true and good. When kept in balance, we can use these tools to discover the will of God.

Jesus granted us his authority here on earth. We are called to be the teachers and healers in the world today. Let us go out into the world, and use the tools God has given us; scripture, the Holy Spirit, reason and experience, to proclaim to this world the Good News of God’s redemptive love.