Pastor Larson’s Corner: Authority

I have a mechanic whom I trust completely. If I ever have a car problem I take it to him even if it means going out of my way. I also have a dentist who I know will give me both the correct diagnosis and treatment. I feel the same way about my medical doctor and my eye doctor. We all have people we go to if we want to know the truth about a particular subject. We do this because sometimes we absolutely need authoritative answers.

What these people have in common is expertise in their field. They have studied their specialty and now they are authorities on the subject. When we have a question, these people can answer it in a clear and straightforward way. They explain things so we can understand them. Other people may be able to give us an opinion or their advice. However, if we want to know the answer to a particular question, we must go to those who can speak with authority on the subject.

Jesus surprised people because He spoke with authority about God. In Mark’s Gospel we read, “They were astounded at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority.” The teachings of Jesus are like that. They are truly astounding. His teachings are like windows into the mind of god. When we want to know what God desires, we turn to Jesus and His teaching.

The thousands of people who heard Jesus teach knew they were in the presence of an authority. Jesus taught them as one who knew the truth about God. These same teachings of Jesus have come down also to us. They are there for us in scripture. They are a great treasury of truth for us. They are truth that we can believe because of the authority of Jesus.

Pastor Larson’s Corner is written by Jerry Larson and appears weekly in the Norwegian American Weekly.

Pastor Jerry Larson retired to his cabin in Zimmerman, Minn., after 39 years in parish ministry for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In 2011 he published a book entitled “Speaking the Word Freely: Writing with purpose, preaching with power.” Contact him at jerlarson@visi.com

This article originally appeared in the Dec. 11, 2015, issue of the Norwegian American Weekly.