When people listened to Jesus...
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When people listened to Jesus speak, they recognized an inherent authority in his words: "He speaks with authority" (Mark 1:27). This authority of Christ rested on three factors. First, Christ was a man under authority. He was submissive to the authority of God. For instance, Christ said to the Jewish authorities in the temple treasury: "I do nothing on my own authority, but in all that I say, I have been taught by my Father ... for I always do what is acceptable to him" (John 8:28-29). Second, Christ saw that real authority came from serving people. When the apostles were upset because two of their number asked for positions of great authority at the right and left hand seats beside Christ, the Lord answered, "Whoever wants to be great must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the willing slave of all" (Mark 10:43-44). Third, Christ handled his authority with sensitivity. He dealt with people in a kindly way. After Matthew told how he healed the sick, Matthew recalled a prophecy of Isaiah: "He will not snap off the broken reed, nor snuff out the smouldering wick" (Matthew 12:20).
-- Chinn
-- Chinn
