What Is The Authority of Jesus And Why Does It Matter?

The deity of Jesus is the bedrock of biblical Christianity and a teaching found throughout the pages of the New Testament. If Jesus is God, then he has all authority in heaven and on earth.

What evidence do we have in Scripture for the divine authority of Christ? In Mark 1:16-28 we have two scenes that demonstrate the sovereignty of the Messiah.

In verses 16-20 we see Jesus exercise his authority over people. He encounters Peter, Andrew, James and John while they are fishing on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus says, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Mark 1:17).

All four men literally and willingly drop everything and obey Jesus' command. And they do so immediately. "At once they left their nets and followed him" (Mark 1:18).

In verses 21-28 we see Jesus and his four disciples going to the synagogue in Capernaum on the Sabbath, where Jesus begins to teach those in attendance at the weekly worship service. A man is present who is demon-possessed. Demons know who Jesus is (God in a human body) and so are terrified by Jesus, fearful that Judgment Day has come. So the man begins to yell at Jesus, which prompts Jesus to tell the demon to shut up and come out of the man.

The demon does exactly what Jesus tells him to do "The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek" (Mark 1:26).

What can we learn about Jesus from these two scenes?

Jesus has authority over all.

In both cases, Jesus issues commands that are obeyed. He is demonstrating his divine authority as the Son of God, and both human beings (the four fisherman) and superhuman beings (the demon) are subject to his authority. Jesus has the power to rule over all. He is the Christ, the long-awaited King prophesied about in the Old Testament who would come to establish his reign in the hearts of His people and over the forces of darkness.

Jesus has compassion for all.

Yet Jesus is a King who is filled with love for his subjects. In both cases, the commands to "Come, follow me" and "Come out of him" are motivated by compassion. He has compassion for these four fishermen by following him; their lives will be radically changed for the better. They are leaving their jobs as fisherman to enter a new calling as not only disciples but apostles of King Jesus. Their decision to follow Jesus will not be easy to live out, but it will prove worthwhile beyond their wildest dreams, both in this life and in the life to come.

Likewise, Jesus' command to the demon was motivated by compassion for the demon-possessed man. His life was no doubt a miserable one. He had been a slave to the demon's every evil desire. Demons come to destroy life. And now, in the blink of an eye, Jesus transformed this man's life he was no longer in bondage to the forces of darkness; he was set free to serve the One who liberated him!

Oh that we would realize the truth that when Jesus issues a command for us to obey, he does so with our best interest in mind.

Jesus' authority will be obeyed by all eventually and ultimately.

These two episodes are descriptions of actual events. They are also pictures of the fate of every person. Like the four disciples, we can willingly submit to Jesus' authority as God in this life by exercising faith in him as Lord, Savior and Treasure. To do so is to align ourselves with God's will and thereby enter the kingdom of heaven. This is no easy decision to make or to implement, but it will be rewarded greatly both in this life and the next.

Those who refuse to voluntarily submit to Christ's authority now will do so involuntarily on Judgment Day, and will face an eternity in the lake of fire along with the demons and their defeated leader Satan.

Whether in this life or the next, the words of Paul will eventually come to pass: "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow . . . and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord" (Philippians 2:10-11).

Please take time today to consider this question: What is your response to the authority of Jesus?