February 5 - On Whose Authority?
Matthew 7:1-5, 7-8, 12, 24-29
Deborah Laforet
On Whose Authority?
Let us pray. May the words from my lips and the meditations of my heart be guided by your Spirit and be words of wisdom for this day. Amen.
What does it mean to be someone with authority? According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, it means a person in command or someone with the power to influence thought, opinion, or behaviour. At the end of this passage that Judy read for us, we hear that the crowds were astounded at the teaching of Jesus because he taught as one having authority.
As you’ve heard over the past three weeks, Matthew’s gospel compiles a whole bunch of the teachings of Jesus into three chapters, 5, 6, and 7, called the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus preaches to a crowd and to his disciples. We’ve only focused on a few of these teachings and what we heard today was the conclusion of these teachings. It ends with the first parable we hear from Jesus in this gospel, about the house on rock or sand, and then this astounded awareness by the crowd of Jesus’ authority.
Authority is an interesting trait to have. People with authority might be highly respected and given allowances to make decisions and act on their own; while, at others times, there are those who have no respect for authority and when seeing others try to use authority, will try to usurp that authority. These are the extremes, but these are times when abuse happens, either by those in authority or upon those in authority.
Clergy are often imbued with authority, deserved or not, and often get into trouble, sometimes by being bullied, but most often by crossing boundaries and causing harm to others. During my training to be a minister, we talked a lot about boundaries and the perceived authority by others of my role, whether I wanted it or not. What I’ve discovered is that people sometimes put me on a pedestal, which is a long fall when they figure out I’m far from perfect, or a total disregard for my skills and gifts, which, honestly, happens more often to those who are not white, male, and ordained. I think many here have had glimpses of this authority in their own lives, sometimes in their work, sometimes at school, or even in our own families. We’ve all had experiences with those in authority, positive and negative, and we know that abuse and bullying can happen anywhere, not just in the church.
So, this question of the authority of Jesus peeked my interest. What kind of authority did Jesus have or was perceived to have had? It seemed to be different from what this crowd was used to, in specific to the scribes of the day. Is it the same kind of authority we are used to today? Could it have been harmful and abusive if not used well?
In this long sermon on the mount, Jesus blessed the poor, those who mourn, and the peacemakers, told people they were the salt of the earth and to let their light shine. He promised that we only had to ask, seek, and knock, and that God would answer. He told people to turn the other cheek and to love their enemy. Also though, he called people hypocrites, and said you cannot serve both God and wealth, do not worry about tomorrow, don’t judge, and that not everyone who prophesies or casts out demons is his name will enter the kingdom of heaven, and may even be told by Jesus, “I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.” He said all of this with authority, not like the scribes, whose authority came from the temple. Jesus spoke with the authority of the kingdom of heaven, of God, and his words sometimes spoke against the current authority, and this is what ultimately would get him into trouble. His authority had the power to influence and there were some who found that dangerous. They could not let Jesus continue to speak with this authority. Some were afraid he’d start or inspire a violent rebellion, and others feared losing their own authority and power.
Authority is a funny thing. Some love having the power to command and having the power to influence other’s thoughts, opinions, and beliefs. Those are the ones you need to watch. Still others want nothing to do with this authority, sometimes because they have no self confidence or self worth and are mostly influenced by others. These are the ones who need lots of compassion. Falling somewhere in between is healthy. We all have the gifts and skills to be a leader, in one way or another. We all have wisdom to share and we all have value, even the smallest child, the oldest elder, and those most detested and neglected. We may not be like Jesus, who spoke with the authority of God, but we are all authorities in some aspect of life, and we can all use that authority to further the kingdom of God on earth. Where does your authority lie?
As we enter into Black History Month, I thought about the influence that we could have against racism. I heard this week in the states, I think it was Florida specifically, that teachers are not allowed to teach slavery in a biased or emotional way. In other words, they don’t want people to feel guilty about that time in American history. So one man, decided to do his own teaching, by giving free tours to all students, and exploring the places in Florida that experienced significant racial strife.
Unfortunately, some of us, who are white, who have homes and good jobs, who are straight and cis-gender, those of us who are male, and sometimes even as Christians, some of us have a voice that is heard and lifted up in our society, but we can use that to our advantage. We can use our voices to speak up for those who experience racism, to advocate for a change of systems that are racist or that don’t support people living on the streets, those living with addictions and mental health problems, and those who are hungry and can’t afford food and rent.
We can speak with authority, and we can speak with the authority of our faith. We can use the words of Jesus as he blessed those who are forgotten, who reminded us to love our enemy, and as he taught us all to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. His words still carry authority today and they hold wisdom that has lasted for centuries.
We all have authority, in one way or another. I have this picture of me when I was very very small, probably around a year old. I’m in a high chair, and it looks like I am screaming for something or other. In the background is my grandmother with has this expression on her face that seems to say, “Who does she think she is?” Even the smallest child can claim authority.
What does your authority look like? How do you use your authority, in your work, in school, in your community, or in your family? In what way do you have the power to command or the power to influence? Do you abuse that authority? Do you allow others to have authority? Do you respect your own authority and the authority of others? When is it the right time to call out authority that is misplaced or abusive?
I’m leaving you with lots of questions, but sometimes there just aren’t easy answers, and we just need to remind ourselves of the questions, to keep them before us we we live out our days. So, may we continue to question our authority and the authority of others. May we use our wisdom when discerning when it's helpful or when we need to step up or take a step back. May Christ be our guide and the Spirit our motivator. May it be so. Amen.