Authority

        We are overcome by a large number of advertisements these days. Some of the things that are advertised just plain shouldn't be being advertised. Other things are becoming quite popular and I guess need to be advertised even though they are not the most enjoyable things to see. One such “product” is the “funeral.” Who wants to think about their funeral but it is a necessary thing to think about at some point in your life. In the past, most funeral directors when doing a commercial for their service, never look straight into the camera during the final shot of the funeral director. They seem to be looking off to the right or left and if there are two of them, they are looking in the same direction. This gives the impression that they are looking to a higher authority in reference to their product. Matthew 7:28-29 says, "And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."

      Many people, when trying to sell a product, try to transmit the idea of authority along with their advertisement. This is especially true with politicians, lawyers and preachers. You want to have faith in the individual if you are going to believe what they say about their philosophy, teaching or product. After the sermon on the Mount, the people were, as it says in the passage above, "astonished" at His doctrine, referring to the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ. The people had been under the instruction of the scribes, who knew their Bible, yet they didn't have the authority that was witnessed during the Sermon on the Mount. People can see that there is a difference when a person speaks with authority and one who does not. After the people had heard the Lord Jesus Christ and His teaching, they knew something was different from what they had heard so many times before. Jesus covered a lot of different things in the Sermon on the Mount and in some cases, it was a complete reversal from what they had been taught in previous times. We can look at the same message today and we know that He who spoke the message almost 2000 years ago was the Creator Himself. We know that He did have the authority to say what He did because of His involvement in creation as seen in Colossians 1:15-19. We are bombarded with all kinds of products and promises but they are, for the most part, without authority and certainly are not very astonishing. If we are to find any authority in doctrine today, certainly it should be found in the teaching of the Bible. The four gospels record the experiences of Christ during His incarnation from His birth until after His resurrection. He who raised from the dead has the authority and whatever He says, we should follow without hesitation. Politician, lawyers and preachers come and go, some good and some not so good, but the Word of God and the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ are those things which show us true authority. Praise God that have God's message to us in The Holy Scriptures.