Some Doubted

Matthew 10:1-4

“And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.”

When you give thought to the word authority, what is the connotation that comes into your mind?  These things pop into my mind, the right to command, a powerful person, a boss, a parent, a police person, and government.  But all of these have limited powers, and none of them have the ability to give you power over the spiritual world, and none have the authority to heal every disease and every affliction.  Jesus tells His eleven disciples, after His resurrection, to go to Galilee to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them, and on seeing Him they worshiped Him, but some doubted.  And this was the message Jesus had for them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Are you part of “the some doubted group,” it is not that bad of a group, for after Pentecost when God poured out His Spirit, these doubters were filled with the Holy Spirit and they understood the authority given them.  The message to the Jewish person was this; “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.” (Hebrews 1:1-4)

As a disciple or better yet, a follower of Christ, has he given you and me this authority?  Now we live in a world that loves the power that comes with authority, and yes, you see authority misused in some Christian circles, in government and in the home, where they want everyone to submit to their authority.  As a follower of Christ, this should be our goal, to remember in whose authority we operate. We have no authority, not any; zero to come against the powers of darkness in our own strength. We come against them in the Name of Jesus. It is His authority, not ours.

And that is in keeping with what Jesus told us: “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.”  (John 12:44-49) 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice