Posted by: pastor on 02/24/2009 17:36:59
Sermon from February 1
What Sort of AAuthority?
In the Name of Jesus:
“[Jesus] entered the synagogue and taught” and “they were astounded at his teaching, for he taught as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” It’s curious, isn’t it, that the gospel text for today begins with Jesus’ entrance into the synagogue to teach, notes his hearers’ astonishment that he “taught with authority,” and then says nothing at all about what Jesus had to say! If Jesus’ words were so compelling, his teaching so authoritative, then why are none of his words recorded for us?
Instead, St. Mark moves quickly to this interruption of Jesus’ teaching by a madman—a man with an unclean spirit... I’ve been interrupted while preaching, not by a madman, but perhaps by a 20th century counterpart. I was preaching in a nursing home when an elderly woman, probably suffering from some sort of dementia, or possibly mental illness, began interjecting vulgarities. Unlike the man in Mark’s gospel, however, she was quickly and as calmly as possibly escorted from the room by a nurses’ aid. But that’s not what happens here. Not only does no one—no aid, no usher, no annoyed or helpful worshipper—come to Jesus’ rescue to remove or at least silence this disturbed and disturbing man; the whole focus shifts from Jesus’ teaching to the exchange between him and this man—or, more accurately, to the confrontation between Jesus and the unclean spirit which possesses the man.
”’What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit, convulsing and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.” The congregation shakes its collective head in wonder and asks, “What’s this? A new teaching—with authority!” And that, my friends, is the word for the day: authority.
In just a few hours the Pittsburg Steelers & Cardinals will meet on a Tampa football field & vie to become the Superbowl XLIII champions, and in the course of their play referees undoubtedly several inches shorter & tens of pounds lighter than most of those players will blow their whistles, make some hand gestures, and almost without question those beefy, broad-shouldered boys will bow to their instructions. That’s authority, backed by the rules of professional football.
When we leave here today and come to a stop sign or a red light we will—most of us, anyway!—stop, whether or not there’s a police officer in sight. It’s the wise & sensible thing to do, for our own and the public good, and even an inanimate sign or signal has behind it the authority of traffic law and the legal system.
And when any of us goes for an annual check-up, and the physician says, “Your weight is up; I’d like to see you drop 15-20 pounds ” or “Your blood pressure concerns me; watch your sodium intake or we’ll need to consider medication” we may not comply with that advice, but we recognize the doctor’s authority to speak about such things: her training, experience, and the AMA all support her words.
A week ago Saturday evening those of us who participated in the mid-winter retreat at Calumet were treated to a simulated, abbreviated confirmation class with Dr. Brown and confirmands Kailyn, Max & Molly. Dr. Brown, being a merciful man, doesn’t desire that we bring back the practice of examining confirmands prior to their making public affirmation of faith; but he did think the congregation ought to have some idea of what goes on in class, and what sort of teacher we have entrusted with this important ministry. More than reassured, I believe we were all gratified and yes, proud, of what is happening with these young people. They spoke about Scripture, and knew the various kinds of literature found in its pages, and their value and authority for the life of faith.
But these kids are bright, and old enough now, certainly, to have begun to question… and so Dr. Brown asked the questions about Scripture that come to thinking persons of faith, and the confirmands answered: Do Lutherans believe that the Bible is literally true, word for word, for example, that the world was created in 6 24-hour days? No. Is the Bible 100% consistent with itself? No. No? Ahh…so when the Old Testament is contradicted by the New, which receives greater weight? The New. If the New Testament letters appear to contradict the Gospels, to which do we pay greater attentionr? The Gospels. If the Gospels conflict with the words of Jesus, to which do we turn? The words of Jesus.
And I would push that just a bit further: If the words of Jesus—(for all of us who have one of those red-letter Bibles)—if the words of Jesus seems to be at odds with the person of Jesus—the life of Jesus—the death & resurrection of Jesus—which carries greater authority?
It is finally Jesus himself, the Word made flesh, the heart and mind of almighty & eternal God made visible, made flesh, who is the Authority for a life of faith. His authority needs no derivative, for it exists in his life unerringly oriented toward God’s good purposes: the ordering of chaos and the vanquishing of every demon that militate against God’s gracious reign. Christ Jesus needs no laws, no persons, no body, to legitimate his authority, for he is its very embodiment: the totality of his person, his teaching and healing, his eating and cavorting with outcasts and sinners, and finally his dying and rising for sinners like you & me and all creation—bear witness to his divine authority.
It is by that same authority that the Church exists and under it that we operate: “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” May the budget we adopt today, the work we undertake as Christ Lutheran Church in this new year, and our whole lives be grounded in Christ’s own life-giving authority. Amen.
