By What Authority?

    There are two things at play in this week’s gospel text:  Authority, and Words vs. Actions.  First, there is the authority of Jesus Christ.  It was an issue in Jesus’ day and remains so today.  What does it mean to believe and confess that Jesus is “the way, the truth and the life?”  The implications of this are many, for Jesus is claiming to be the one and only true God.  We can’t really dodge this one, as the chief priests and elders in the text attempt to do.  As Christians, we need to stick to this exclusive claim Jesus makes for the purpose of his inclusive promise. Jesus so loves the world, after all.

On the other matter, Word vs. Actions, it gets confusing.  Jesus’ two parables seem to make the case that “talk is cheap,” or “actions speak louder than words.”  Then there is the famous quote I have struggled with greatly over the years: “Preach the gospel, use words if necessary.”  Any attempt to minimize the power of the Word seems to go against Scripture.  The world was created by the power of the Word.  Jesus is the Word made flesh.  Faith comes by hearing the Word of God preached.  Don’t we talk about the authority of the Word alone?

If this has you wondering, let’s go at it together on Sunday.  But I invite you to begin to wrestle with this before that.