If you take the time to stop and think about what makes the Good News so good, I think most of us would admit that it’s because God has the ability to offer eternal life. God has the authority to give life, and He has the authority to take life.
Jesus acknowledged that what He spoke, and ultimately what He came to do on earth, was directed by God in John 12:49-50, “I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent Me commanded Me to say all that I have spoken. I know that His command leads to eternal life. So, whatever I say is just what the Father has told Me to say.”
However, many people didn’t accept His statement that He had authority to “forgive sins” or offer eternal life. In fact, today many people have the same issues with His statements of authority. But this is where we have the privilege of reading of more than just Jesus’ words, we also read of His actions while He was here on earth.
When John the Baptist had messengers come to ask Jesus if He was the Messiah, Jesus responded in Luke 7:22-23, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of Me.”
His actions would prove that He had authority in life and even over death. When we read about Jesus walking on water (Mark 6:49), or rebuking the wind (Mark 4:39), or feeding 5,000 people (Mark 6:41), or even causing the fig tree to dry up (Mark 11:14), we have to consider the significance those events had on those considering acceptance of His message.
It was the actions of Jesus that compelled many to truly believe in Him. Even Thomas was faced with the reality that Jesus had demonstrated His authority over death after His resurrection, and he too was able to see the evidence and made the choice to trust in God’s power.
As we study God’s word, we should discover how often God asked His followers to trust Him in some kind of action, and the end result was amazement that God truly has all authority – not just in the pages of the Bible but in our own life as well.
Matt 28:18-20, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
No comments:
Post a Comment