In Mark 1, it says “Jesus taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”
What does it mean for someone as “having authority?” Sometimes there is external authority – someone outside ourselves that we trust and listen to. In Lutheran churches, Martin Luther is often an external authority. Times change. Who is an external authority you trust now?
The root of the word “authority” in Greek gets back to being itself. In English, the root gets back to “author.” There is also a way of noticing how authority comes from one’s integrity, written into a person, and resonating with you. How do you listen and discern internally about teachings that connect with you?
In the gospel, Jesus teaches as one having authority. I believe Jesus keeps teaching, so we now seek to listen to a much wider diversity of voices, teaching us across different experiences of race, gender, age, and status. How has your understanding of authority shifted in the past year?
People of St. Timothy, thank you for continuing to seek to explore and live in the depth of Jesus’ teachings for our day.
