Text: Mark 1:21-28 Epiphany 4B
SN: 0041 01/28/24
Absolute Authority
Authority. We’re not always fans of that word, especially when it is connected to the word absolute. We have an innate suspicion of those who have or seek to have absolute authority. Books and movies are filled with villains seeking absolute authority: Thanos, Lex Luthar, and the Emperor from Star Wars as just a few examples. On the other hand, our culture holds up as heroes those who challenged what they saw as absolute and abusive authority. Think of John Hancock writing his name as large as he could on the Declaration of Independence as a direct challenge to the authority of King George, Nathan Hale courageously declaring that his only regret was that he had but one life to give for his country, or King Leonidas and his 300 brave Spartans challenging the absolute authority of King Xerxes.
We don’t like the idea of being told what to do, especially if we have absolutely no say in the matter. We have a natural tendency to resist despotic authority. We value our freedom and want to be able to make our own choices. This attitude translates into our spiritual life as well. Our sinful nature doesn’t like to be told what to do. It chafes under what it sees as the oppressive authority of God’s law. As Christians, we are engaged in a constant spiritual battle. There is a struggle between our new man who desires to willingly submit to God’s law and our old man who wants to rebel against God’s authority. Our enemy, Satan, is raging with all his might to destroy our faith and lead us away from God. Our Gospel lesson this morning reminds us that absolute authority has been given to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But unlike every human with authority, Christ uses his absolute authority only for our good. By his absolute authority, he has forgiven our sins and destroyed the power of death and hell.
The authority of Jesus is the same authority as God the Father. At the beginning of all things, God created the heavens and the earth. Because he is the creator of all things God has authority over all things. Everything that exists is subject to the will of God. At some point after creation, Satan challenged the authority of God and was cast out of heaven. Satan in his anger and rage then destroyed the perfect world that God created. He tempted Adam and Eve to sin and destroyed their relationship with God. Because of the sin of Adam and Eve, all people are born spiritually dead and hostile to God. We view God as our enemy. Our sinful natures chafe under the absolute authority of God’s law. Just like when a parent tells a small child not to touch a hot stove and the first thought of the child is to touch that stove, so we too desire to do the things God tells us not to do.
But God demands absolute obedience to his will. Our sinful natures hate this. We do not want to be told what to do. We think we know better than God does. We don’t think it's fair that we should be condemned to eternal death because of the few small sins that we have committed. We want to challenge God’s absolute authority and determine for ourselves what’s right and wrong. We don’t want to listen when God says that it's wrong to neglect his word, it's wrong to have lustful thoughts about others, it's wrong to gossip and lie, or it's wrong to be selfish with the blessings we have been given. We want to be a law for ourselves. This is sinful rebellion. This is challenging God’s authority and putting our own authority in its place. Every time we sin, we are breaking the First Commandment and putting our desires in the place of God.
How foolish! How foolish to think that we could in any way challenge the power and authority of the Creator. This is the same foolishness we see from the demon in our Gospel lesson. Did the demon really think it could win a confrontation with the Son of God? Did Satan think that he could undermine the work of Christ by telling people who he was? The actions of the demon seem foolish and self-destructive. And yet isn’t that what all sin is? Sin harms our bodies and destroys our relationships with others. We know that sin is bad for us, and yet we find ourselves falling into the same sins again and again. We know that there will be consequences and yet we foolishly think that this time it will be different. Satan and our own sinful natures are constantly trying to lead us to sin.
Satan is a very real and powerful threat. His only goal is to destroy our souls and lead us away from God. On our own, we are powerless to defeat him, but thankfully we do not need to fight our ancient enemy. His power has been destroyed by the absolute power and authority of Christ. This is why the Son of God appeared: to destroy the works of the Devil.
This is the authority that we see on full display in our lesson. Mark the Evangelist does not tell us exactly what Jesus was preaching in the synagogue, but we can assume it’s the same message Mark records in verse 15, “The time is fulfilled,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near! Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Jesus was able to proclaim the message of the gospel with absolute authority because he was the Word of God incarnate. Christ had come to fulfill the promises of God and bring salvation. As true God Christ had absolute power and authority. He could have ruled over every nation on earth, and no one would have been able to stand against him. But that’s not how our Savior appeared. He came to serve, not to be served. He clothed himself with humility and placed himself under the requirement of God’s law for us.
Just think, Jesus did not need to go to the synagogue to hear the Word of God, he was the Word made flesh. But he went to keep God’s Word and honor the Sabbath Day. Jesus lived among sinners and shared with them the message of the Gospel. He was able to teach God’s Word with authority because his will was perfectly aligned with the will of the Father. When he was confronted by the demon-possessed man he used his authority to rebuke the demon. The demon was forced to flee because Jesus was the Son of God.
Jesus had the absolute power and authority of God, and yet what did he do with that authority? He willingly allowed himself to be tortured and nailed to a cross. He took the sins of the entire world upon himself and paid for them with his life. God died on the cross so that we might live. By his death and resurrection, he destroyed the power of Satan. By his absolute obedience, he freed us from our slavery to sin and restored our relationship with God. He suffered the torments of hell in our place. He paid for our sins with his life.
We receive the benefits of his death and resurrection through faith. We have been washed in the waters of baptism. We daily drown our sinful natures and cling to the promises of God. We repent of our sins and believe the gospel message of our Savior. We receive the forgiveness of sins as we taste of his body and blood. We no longer fear the power of the devil because we know that he has been defeated. We no longer fear the sting of death because we look forward to the resurrection and eternal life that has been won for us in Christ.
Dear friends, all of our sins of rebellion have been washed away with the blood of Christ. By Christ's absolute obedience, we have been made God’s dearly beloved children. As children of God, we willingly submit to the authority of our Lord. We don’t view the commands of our God as burdensome because we know that they are for our good. We are amazed by the message of the Gospel because we know our sins and continually marvel at the height and depth of width of God’s love for us.
As his people, we seek to proclaim his Word in its truth and purity. We dare not compromise God’s Word because it is his absolute truth and we do not have the authority to change a single word. As his people, we have been given his authority to proclaim his message of salvation to the world. We baptize and forgive sins in his name. We serve one another in love. We offer him the very best of our time, talents, and treasure. We spur one another to love and do good deeds. We work doing all things to the best of our ability because we seek to serve him first in everything we do.
Dear friends, we do not despise the absolute authority of Christ because we know that he is using that authority for our good. We have this promise from our Savior, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and gather disciples from all nations by baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and by teaching them to keep all the instructions I have given you. And surely I am with you always until the end of the age.” Our Savior is with us. He has used his authority to destroy the power of the devil and free us from our sins. He uses his absolute authority to work all things out for the good of his church. On the last day, he will return with all his power, glory, and authority and he will take us to be with him to live in the eternal presence of his glory forever. Amen.