The Authority of Jesus the Christ

"Grace and peace to you from … Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom of priests to serve his God and Father-to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen."-John (Revelation 1.5-6)

We're studying the book of Revelation Sunday mornings and we've completed the first chapter. In the first chapter John established the origin of his prophecy, the recipients of his prophecy, and how he came to be giving the prophecy.

As I was studying for class, it occurred to me that Jesus speaks with authority to John and to the seven churches to whom John is writing. Jesus expects to be obeyed when he tells John to write down all he sees. This becomes even clearer in the second and third chapters-Jesus expects to be obeyed by the readers.

When someone expects to be obeyed, they believe they have the right to command. Parents expect to be obeyed, as do teachers, coaches, bosses, and law enforcement officials. And we do, to some extent, obey them, but why?

One reason we obey them is because we realize they have power over us. They have the power to give or take away. There are consequences for not submitting to their authority and benefits for doing so.

Another reason we obey these authority figures is, at least in some cases, we care about them enough that we want to please them. We appreciate and are thankful for the care, attention, and faithfulness they show in the use of their power on our behalf. Even when that power restrains us from doing something we really want to do, we still are thankful that they use that power over us protectively.

A third reason we obey those who have authority over us is because obeying them, listening to and following through with their instruction, leads to a saner, simpler, more peaceful life. Being a law-abiding citizen has its benefits. Being a truthful and honest kid with your parents has its benefits.

Parents, teachers, coaches, bosses, and law-enforcement officers have the right to command based on a variety of reasons. What is Jesus' right to command based upon? The passage quoted above points out two major reasons Jesus has authority to command John and the churches: 1) his character; and 2) his actions.

Jesus' character is seen in his being a faithful witness, his motivation for his self-sacrifice (love), and what he purposed us to be (not as a despot, to use and abuse for his own selfish ends). His actions are seen in being the firstborn from the dead, ruling the kings of the earth, freeing us from our sins by his blood, and making us priests in service to God.

Jesus' authority is based upon who he is and what he's done. That authority exists separate and apart from us-in other words, even if no living person acknowledged Jesus' authority he would still have authority. We don't grant him power over us based upon our own wishes or feelings but because we recognize his identity as The Authoritative One.

If we only obey Jesus when it suits us or because of an occasional fear we might be sentenced to hell for all eternity, we are thinking Jesus' authority is the same as parents, coaches, teachers, bosses, and law enforcement officials. "It's only wrong if they catch us!"
A life of faith, then, is based upon our answer to two questions: 1) is Jesus Boss; and 2) is Jesus our Boss or just one of our "bosses" depending on the situation?

Shawn