One Having Authority

In college days, there was a book called “Who’s In Charge, Here?” circulating among my friends. It was a collection of news photos of national and world leaders with funny word-balloons added. Every once in a while it’s fun to see officialdom in amusingly human predicaments: the guys and I made our own collection of pics featuring our profs and other campus figures in comic attitudes. At about the same time, we saw cartoons of aliens in the hardware store demanding of a coffee-maker, “Take me to your leader!” Who IS in charge, here? And who sez so?

Moses was getting old, and the Desert Wanderers were growing in number and contrariness. “The Lord you God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet.” (Deuteronomy 18:15) And Yahweh added, “I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command.” (v.18) Such bestowed authority gave a central (and moral) leadership to a restless collection of tribes practicing how to become a Nation.

Oh, what shall we do with those worldly habits like smoking, playing cards, dancing and wearing nail-polish? Are the drinkers and the over-eaters sinful in their enjoyments? Paul addressed the Christians of Corinth–the Big Apple of its day, O Henry’s “Baghdad on the Subway”–who affirmed that eating meat once offered to idols had nothing to do with their own spirituality. (I,8:4-13) Well, sure; “we know that ‘no idol in the world really exists'”, so “Food will not bring us close to God.” Yeah, BUT–“Take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” Community standards are a form of authority, too. And an ethical formation of responsibility to the Neighbor.

Jesus’ new neighbors at Capernaum were astounded at Jesus’ teaching, “for he taught them as one having authority…” He evidently knew whereof he spoke–yet Mark doesn’t give us a summary, but demonstrates this authority with another Right Now instance, this time an exorcism in which even the “unclean spirits” obeyed him. (Mark 1:21-28) Funny how people in the beginning of Jesus’ ministry recognized a Godly Authority; and how this was officially questioned as he went along…

This is still Epiphany, remember. The lessons are collected to demonstrate how God shows God’s-self in Jesus–with the hope that current Disciples will also receive and acknowledge Divine Insight as the Kingdom continues to unfold within them. Myself, I’m glad to have a dependable authority as current events make ancient goods uncouth…!

God Bless Us, Every One Horace Brown King