"He taught them as one having authority. . . . "
What gives someone authority? Some would say that it comes from having mastered a certain field, discipline or craft. Others would say it comes from having the appropriate credentials or connections. There's a story that might give us some insight.
It seems that there was a young government surveyor who, with his theodolite and chart, came up to a local farmer. "Sir, I'm from the federal land survey," he said, "And I need to take a reading in your field." The farmer expressed some reluctance and was about to explain himself, when the young man cut him off. He produced his papers and explained that he had government authority to take necessary readings. "Now," he commanded, "open that gate. I'm going into the field and I'm taking these readings whether you like it or not." Still sputtering about not being responsible, the farmer opened the gate and young man marched in. He set up his theodolite and set to work, but was interrupted by a large, fierce bull. As the officious surveyor went galloping for safety with the bull in hot pursuit, the farmer yelled, "Show him your credentials! Use your authority!" The surveyor may have had authority to enter the field, but he didn't have either the authority or the power to stop the bull!
True authority, I think Scripture tells us, is that which is backed by action. Authority has a certain power to it, the ability to follow through. When Jesus stood in the synagogue at Capernaum he acted and taught with true authority. His words were weighted with action and he demonstrated that a prophet, a new Moses, was in their midst. The authority Jesus brings is not that of the footnote, the thorough review of the literature, or the credential. Rather, Jesus makes the will and the Word of the living God known, making good on the promise found in Deuteronomy. It is possible, still, to hear what God is saying, because God is making his Word known.
Jesus granted this prophetic authority to his living body, the church, which continues to make him present in the world. The guarantee of the authority is the presence of the Holy Spirit, "the Advocate that the Father will send in my name -- he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you" (John 14:26). The Spirit is the living authority within the church so that we might better understand the Lord's teaching and unfold the meaning of his words according to the signs of the times. J-M Asurmundi reflects this in his book on prophecy:
To believe in the relevance of God is to believe in the presence of prophets among us who show the relevance of his word. To believe in the faithfulness of God and in his Church is to believe that he will not let it fall asleep, be overwhelmed, lose its vigor and the dynamism of its hope. And for that reason, Jesus Christ, 'the Prophet' is present through the intermediary of men and women prophets who, in their individual ways, in their places and times, actualize the Word that invigorates all who believe in him. [Le Prophetisme quoted in DAYS OF THE LORD, Liturgical Press, 1993, p. 12]
Thus Paul was acting in a prophetic manner when he wrote to the church at Corinth. Like Jesus, Paul's teaching carries authority because of the action, the life-witness if you will, that accompanied his words. The Corinthians were a cosmopolitan lot and, as such, were rather easy marks for the seduction of intellectualism. In this case a little knowledge was, indeed, a dangerous thing. Paul confronts this squarely when he says that "all Christians" -- not just a select few -- "have knowledge" and that knowledge is that which is mutual, experiential, and edifying.
Augustine comments on this passage in The City of God. He says, "Paul means that knowledge only does good in company with love. Otherwise it merely puffs a man into pride." Love empowers us to act in the right way. We may have more knowledge than someone else, more insight, more authority, but if we're acting in love, we won't invoke these things to that individual's detriment. "Knowledge puffs up, love builds up."
The authority we have, the freedom we have is tempered by the love we have. How do we measure love? Well, I think Francis de Sales said it best, "The measure of love is to love without measure."
The presence of love is what makes knowledge effective and makes belief authentic. Even the demons had knowledge. They cried out, "I know who you are, the Holy One of God," yet they lacked love. Their "profession of faith," as it were, was born of terror at the presence of the living God, who was the opposite of what they were. As Augustine said, "Faith is mighty, but without love it profits nothing. The devils confessed Christ, but lacking love it availed nothing. They said 'what have we to do with you?' They confessed a sort of faith, but without love. Hence they were devils. Do not boast of that faith that puts you on the same level with the devils."
So many people do, however, believe "on the same level with the devils." Their faith is there because of fear. They're afraid of God, they're afraid of death, they're afraid of hell, they’re afraid of the future, they're afraid of themselves, they're afraid of what people might think -- they're afraid. There is no love there, only fear. And, unfortunately, for years the prophetic voice of the church has turned itself more to -- pardon the expression -- 'scaring the hell out of people,' than it has to helping people fall in love with God! There is a I love the story told of one of the desert holy men that delights me. It seems this venerable monk who was seen walking along in the desert totingwith two pails of precious water. Someone called after him, "Abuna, father, where are you going?" His response? "I'm going to go put out the fires of hell so we can find out who loves God for himself alone!" I promise you that you will never hear fear preached in this pulpit, my concern is for us to come to love God and “fear God” in the way the Bible means it, be in awe of, respect, not be scared.
It all comes back to what Paul told the Corinthians, "anyone who loves God is known by him." Our authority, our authenticity grows out of the mutual experience of loving and being loved by God. As the apostle John would say, "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him . . . so we know and believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him . . . There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear." (I John 4:9, 16, 18) And to put the action clause in there, the apostle of love said, "We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen."
Jesus taught with authority because he taught with love and made it evident in his life and in his actions. The witness of the incarnation reminds us that God has embraced humanity, and this embrace extended to the arms of the cross. It's something we cannot forget -- God himself has shown us the way of self-giving loving. Thus, the authority of measureless love will not act to create fear. Rather, the authority of measureless love empowers us to cast out the demons of fear which haunt our lives and the world around us. Demons are real; yes they are, but they aren't the little red devils off the deviled ham can, nor are they the 'catchalls' for everything that goes wrong in the world. No what we must confront and cast out are the real demons of intolerance, of selfishness, of shortsightedness, of ignorance and narrow-mindedness, of spiritual deadness, of low self-esteem, and of self-hatred. Today you and I have the same authority that Jesus had, because he has given it to us and it is our task to cast out those demons through the power of love.
Those who heard Jesus teach and saw his actions knew something was different, "a new teaching -- with authority." We live in an age crowded with new teachings, but few are with authority and most are met with skepticism. There are many spiritual teachers who claim to have "the truth," but their knowledge doesn't seem to build up, but instead it puffs up. Perhaps our little section of the world our families, friends, co-workers, neighbors, will notice the difference if we begin to teach and to live the authority of measureless love? It all began with Jesus taking the fear out of one person. What could happen if that "perfect love which casts out fear" was lived by you and by me? What could happen if we began to rise above the criticism and pettiness, which, too often, cripples God's people and lived measureless love? There's only one way to find out – do it. The measure of love is to love without measure.