Real Authority

Dr. James Mayfield
Tarrytown United Methodist Church

January 29 2006

Text: Mark 1:21-28

The passage we read tells about one of the first events in Jesus' ministry. It happened on a sabbath in the home synagogue of Simon and Andrew. Apparently Jesus had been invited to speak and when had finished, the people were astounded at his teaching because he did not talk like most Bible scholars; he spoke as one who has authority.

Today I want to talk about the authority of Jesus, and I want to talk about our authority as persons who follow Christ.

There are all kinds of authority. One is the kind of authority a law officer has to pull us over when we are speeding and give us a ticket. Then there is the authority of knowledge: “She is an authority on that subject.” The bully can be an authority figure; our fear of him shapes our response. Sometimes authority is the authority of a position and we know whoever is in that position has the power to promote us or fire us, to give us a passing grade or to fail us, to get us in the club or to keep us out. These are many the types of authority. Jesus' authority was different from these.

It is the kind of authority Dietrich Bonhoeffer describes in the chapter on ministry in his little book Life Together. That little book was written for the faculty and students of an underground seminary in Nazi Germany in the late 1930's. But the wisdom it contains is relevant for all situations in which Christians find themselves. In it, Bonhoeffer talks about our ministries to one another.1 He discusses the ministry of holding one's tongue, the ministry of meekness or humility, the ministry of listening, the ministry of helpfulness, the ministry of bearing or accepting one another, the ministry of proclaiming or sharing in words, and then, last of all, or perhaps more accurately as the summation of all the ways we are to be in ministry, Bonhoeffer speaks of the ministry of authority; but the authority he has in mind is the authority of a servant. What he has in mind is what Jesus meant in Mark 10:43: “Whoever will be great among you, shall be your servant.” True authority is the authority of the servant.

The more I have thought about this, the more it makes sense to me. When I think about what really matters in life, the people who are the real authorities for me are some people who in one way or another have served me.

Certainly my parents and grandparents served me -- even when they told me “no” or made me angry with their tough love expressed in some sort of discipline. They gave of themselves for my good. I remember Randall Butler, my junior high Sunday school teacher. He was a man who cared more about me and the other kids who were disrupting his class than he did about his lesson plan. I think that is probably what we wanted to know: “Can you love us? Even us?” And he did. He really did. I do not remember anything he said, but I clearly remember who he was. Randall Butler is one of the authorities in my life regarding the way to live.

I remember Van Harvey, one of my professors in seminary. I took a reading course under Dr. Harvey. Once a week we were to meet to discuss writing of Martin Luther I had read. One time I went in for our conversation. “Well, Mayfield, tell me about what you read this week.” “I didn't do much reading this week.” “Why not?” Then I told him about a personal crisis I was facing. He got up from behind his desk, drew up a chair next to mine, placed his hand on my arm and asked: “Do you want to talk about it?” Ministering to my need at that moment was more important to him than discussing Luther's theology. Dr. Harvey is an authority for me -- not only about how to live but also about how to be a pastor in ministry.

In other sermons I have talked about Mrs. Baker the elderly lady who was hard of hearing and an active member of the church I served in Mathis. She was continually discovering children in Mathis who needed shoes, or some elderly person who could not pay for medicine. She did not have the resources to pay for what was needed; so, she was tenacious in getting those of us who could easily afford to help to provide what was needed. And she did it with a kind of joy and even laughter. Her approach was less one of hounding us about what we ought to do, than it was one of joyfully sharing with us another opportunity to do some good and to discover more about the good within ourselves. Mrs. Baker is one of my authorities on living not just because she was a role model of compassion (though that is part of it) but also because she served me by seeing the best in me and joyfully refusing to allow me to be less.

In the passage we read, the authority of Jesus is mentioned twice. Once in response to what he said in the synagogue and once in regard to what he did in the synagogue. In both what he said and did, he was serving needs of others. In his talking he gave his hearers refreshing insights into the scriptures. In what he did, he set a man free from an unclean spirit.

Regarding what he said we easily understand that kind of authority -- the authority of knowledge, of wisdom, of demonstrated integrity. But some of us may have some difficulty understanding what he did. Sometimes, at first glance, we have problems with the New Testament's talk about persons with unclean spirits or being possessed by demons.

Obviously first century people did not use 21 st century concepts to talk about life. But I do not think life or we humans have changed. And because life has not changed all that much I am convinced that when we think about it, we can have at least some sense of what they meant by unclean spirits.

They were talking about those realities at work within us that not only distort our living but even destroy our ability to live as God intends. For example, there have been times when I have been so possessed by the unclean spirit of pride that I was unable or willing to admit I was wrong. Rather than get forgiveness and move on, I bogged down in defensiveness that at times even grew into arrogant anger. Rather than things getting better, they just got worse because I was possessed by an unclean spirit.

I have known people who had some very bad things happen them 10, 20, even 30 or more years ago being possessed by the unclean spirit resentments and a never satisfied hunger to get even for the wrong that was done. The unclean spirit of old resentment and anger distorts our ability to live.

From time to time I have been so in bondage to materialism I am possessed by my possessions and a slave to the fear of losing or having to give away some of what I call “mine.” This unclean spirit of anxiety and fear cripples, if not destroys my ability to share, and I find myself resenting anyone who disturbs my conscience with the notion that I should give more money than I give. Possessed by this unclean spirit I am unable to love God with all that I am or love my neighbor as myself --in fact I am even hindered in loving myself because I am possessed by this unclean spirit of selfishness.

As Mark tells the story, when Christ first encountered the man with the unclean spirit the man was hostile. That rings true to me because when I am possessed by an unclean spirit of pride or resentment or fearful selfishness I get defensive in the presence of true goodness -- especially when that goodness lays a claim on my conscience, calling me for a change in me. The man with the unclean spirit clearly recognized Jesus as the Holy One of God. The man could recognize health and wholeness even when he did not possess it. He could sense who he was meant to be even while he was in the grip of an unclean spirit. And so can we. We can sense what is truly good, even when we are caught up in pride or filled with resentment or selfish fear makes us stingy. But recognizing the good does not mean we welcome it. The man with the unclean spirit raged at Jesus: “Have you come here to destroy us?” And when faced with the claims of God's grace we are likely to growl: “Are you trying to change me?”

Jesus did not argue with the man. He simply told the man to be quiet and then he told the unclean spirit to leave. God's grace does not argue with us. The most the grace of God will say to us when we are angry and defensive in resistance what we know is good and true is: “Be still and know that I am God.” 2Basically the Word of God just tells us what the Word become flesh told that man -- to be quiet and tells the unclean spirit to leave us and perhaps also tells us to let it go.

In the story the man was cleansed; he was made whole or healed but not without going through some convulsions. When we have been in the grips of pride or resentments or old angers or prejudices or greed or some other unclean spirit our living is “shaken up” when we begin moving toward living as God intends us to live. Change, significant change, usually does not come like a ship sailing on smooth waters. Change makes waves, sometimes big waves and the waves cause a shake up. But it is a shake up caused by the grace of God blowing across the lives, moving us toward being the persons God intends us to be, persons who are transformed by Christ to become followers of Christ.

When Christ came into that man's life he was confronted by the grace of God and it was the beginning of a new day for him. As the people saw the transformation, they were aware this Christ had a very special authority -- it was the authority of God's saving grace, redeeming grace, transforming grace; it was authority of a servant, the authority of THE servant.

God, set us free from the unclean spirits that distort our living so that what we say and do reflects the authority of Christ – the authority of a servant. Amen.

Pastoral prayer

God, many of us are carrying loads of worry. Some of those worries are related to people we love; some of us are worried about business or jobs; some of us are worried about our health; some of us are worried about problems facing us as a society. God, you know what burdens us. Teach us how to let go of our worry while at the same time staying engaged, doing what we need to do. Expand and deepen our faith in you so we will have the inner peace that enables us to be our best selves, doing our best work. Give us the faith we need so we are able to discern what is truly important and set free from wasting our energies majoring on the minors. May your Holy Spirit work within us, so we are able to discern what you want us to do and able to recognize what we need to let go. Nourish our faith so that even in the difficult times we are able to live with confidence and even joy, trusting you and your love. Help us live as Jesus was teaching us to live when he taught us to pray: "Our Father ...."

1LIFE TOGETHER by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, SCM Press London, 1956, pages 80-99. 2see Psalm 46:10 and 37::7