New teaching (Mark 1:27)
And they were all amazed, so that they
questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with
authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”
When
Jesus began His public ministry it didn’t take long for people to figure out
that something new was happening. He
boldly declared that God’s kingdom had come near. The reign of God over all that He had created,
which all devout Jews believed to be real and unchanging, was no longer going
to be hidden – it would be revealed for all to see. The prophets had spoken of the day when a new
king in David’s line, God’s anointed One (the Messiah), would establish a
kingdom in which God’s true purpose for creation would be fulfilled. In that kingdom all that was wrong would be
put right. The glory of God, so evident
in the Law they prized would emanate from Jerusalem to the nations.
Jesus
came declaring the kingdom and He called people to repent and believe the good
news that a new order had arrived. The
reign of God demanded that people turn their lives around – rejecting all other
loyalties, acknowledging sin and obeying God.
Jesus used parables to create images of the kingdom. He employed Beatitudes to reveal its counter-cultural
values. He wasn’t the first teacher to
speak about the nature of God’s rule or to challenge the people to repent, but
His teaching was different in two ways.
Firstly,
when Jesus taught He didn’t depend on previous teachers. Unlike the rabbis of His day He didn’t engage
in debate about the relative merits of the various schools of thought that had
evolved over centuries. He taught with
authority, claiming to be the determiner of what is true. He spoke as if He had actually seen the
realities He described. He claimed to be
the true interpreter of the Law, indeed its fulfilment. He claimed that a person’s response to His
words would decide their eternal destiny. He cast Himself as the Messiah, the King. Secondly, Jesus’ words were accompanied by
actions that demonstrated the transforming power of God’s reign. His authority was total: over nature, over unclean
spirits and over death. He even claimed
authority to forgive sins.
The
new teaching of Jesus was not only theory – it was action. So it is with all who continue to declare
today that God’s reign is a reality that can be entered through faith in Jesus,
the Christ. Their words must be
accompanied by actions. The reign of God
must be embodied in acts of justice, compassion and, supremely, in the
counter-cultural kingdom that celebrates and prays for the coming of the
kingdom, the Church. Yet these actions
themselves cannot bring people into the kingdom. That only happens when they hear the call of
Christ, turn away from sin and trust in the gospel. The new teaching of Jesus placed Him at the
centre of God’s purposes and demanded obedience to Him. The apostles preached Jesus crucified and risen
as Lord – the one to whom all authority had been given. Inclusion in God’s regeneration of all things
depends on our response to this man who amazed His first hearers and continues
to amaze those who listen to Him today.
Comments
Post a Comment