Historical Jesus - Lesson 7

Dr. Mark Strauss
Historical Jesus
nt315-07
Jesus Demonstrated Divine Authority
Lesson Transcript

We've been discussing Jesus' claims to be the Messiah, both explicit and implicit claims. In this session, we continue with that theme, focusing more specifically on Jesus' remarkable sense of divine authority and what that tells us about His identity. We'll look at Jesus' authority in proclaiming the Kingdom of God, in appointing 12 disciples, His authority in teaching, His authority in performing miracles, His authority over the law, and authority to forgive sins.

We start with Jesus' authority in preaching the Kingdom of God. One of the most undisputed features of Jesus' ministry is that He announced the coming of the Kingdom of God. Mark writes that Jesus came into Galilee preaching, "The time has come. The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the Good News." That's Mark 1:15. It's also paralleled in Matthew 4:17, and see Luke 4:43.

So, what is the Kingdom of God, and what did Jesus mean by saying that it had come near or was at hand. Two ideas about God's Kingdom existed side by side in Judaism. The first was God's ever-present reign as King over all the earth. Psalm 99:1 proclaims, "The Lord reigns. Let the nations tremble. He sits enthroned between the cherubim. Let the earth shake."

God's Kingdom has no boundaries. It is universal and eternal. God is now King. Other passages speak of a day when He will come to establish or reestablish His Kingdom on earth. Isaiah 24:23 describes a time when the Lord Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before its elders with great glory. See also Zechariah 14:9.

Jesus' preaching acknowledged both senses of the Kingdom of God. In the present, God is the sovereign Lord of the universe. He created it, and He maintains it with His power. Yet Jesus also taught that the Kingdom of God was a future state believers would one day enter. See Mark 9:47, Matthew 7:21, Matthew 25:34.

The coming of the Kingdom would mean the judgment of the wicked, Matthew 25:41; the establishment of a redeemed community, founded on righteousness and justice, Matthew 13:36-43; and perfect fellowship with God, Luke 13:28-29, Matthew 8:11. What was radically unique about Jesus' teaching was His claim that, through His own words and actions, this end-time Kingdom of God was arriving already. The significance of this message in the context of Israel's history must not be underestimated. In Judaism, the coming of God's Kingdom and the renewal of creation are inseparable themes. Jesus claimed to be the Agent of God's final salvation, which would bring restoration to Israel and healing and wholeness to the whole world. That is an amazing claim.

In addition to His proclamation of the Kingdom, a second way Jesus claimed divine authority was in calling and appointing the 12. In Mark 3:13, we learn this. Jesus went on a mountainside and called to Him those He wanted, and they came to Him. He appointed 12 that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. Then He goes and He lists the names of the 12. Later, in chapter 6, He calls the 12 together again and sends them out, two by two, to preach and to heal, replicating His ministry.

It's clear that, while Jesus had many followers, He specifically chose and commissioned the 12 to fulfill a unique role. Now, in its first century Jewish context, this number is certainly meant to connect this group to the 12 tribes of Israel. Jesus Himself made this connection at the Last Supper, when He told the 12 that, in His future Kingdom, they would sit on 12 thrones judging the tribes of Israel. That's Luke 22:30 and Matthew 19:28.

Jesus, no doubt, viewed this new community of followers as the righteous remnant of Israel, the reconstituted people of God. This conclusion fits well the context of first century Judaism, in which other groups, like the sectarians at Qumran, viewed themselves as the authentic remnant of Israel. It also fits well with Jesus' preaching of the Kingdom. The 12 tribes had not existed as a united Kingdom since the glorious days of King David and his son, Solomon. Jews longed for the day when God would bring His exiled people back to the unified and restored nation of Israel. This hope was often linked to the coming reign of the Lord's Anointed, the Messiah from the line of David.

Jesus' choice of the 12, together with His preaching about the Kingdom, confirmed that He saw His mission as, in some sense, the restoration of Israel. It's also significant that Jesus did not count Himself as one of the 12. He chose 12, not 11 plus Himself, in other words. This suggests that He viewed Himself as distinct from Israel, their unique Leader. Just as the Lord had called the nation Israel into existence, as His special people, so Jesus called and appointed the 12 to be the restored Israel. This is an extraordinary claim to authority, the authority of God Himself.

A third way Jesus' divine authority was revealed was in His teaching ministry. In Mark 1:22, we learn that the people of the synagogue in Capernaum were amazed, because Jesus taught with authority, not as the scribes and Pharisees. While the scribes and Pharisees repeated the authoritative traditions that came before them, Jesus spoke of His own authority. One piece of evidence for this is Jesus' use of the term amain, the equivalent of the English amen. The word is a Greek transliteration of a Hebrew term meaning confirmed or certain or verified. It appears over 100 times in the Gospels, always on the lips of Jesus.

Throughout the synoptic Gospels, he says, "Truly," or amain, "I say to you..." in John's Gospel, this introductory phrase is doubled for emphasis, "Truly, truly," or, "Amain, amain, I say to you..." The authenticity of Jesus' use of the term is confirmed by three of the criteria of authenticity.

First, the criterion of dissimilarity. Jesus uses this term in a unique and unprecedented manner to introduce His sayings. This does not appear either in Judaism or early Christianity. Second, the criterion of multiple attestation. The term appears in all strata of Gospel sources. Third, the criterion of Semitic flavor. The Greek word comes from a Hebrew or Aramaic original, suggesting the term goes back to the early Aramaic-speaking Church and, almost certainly, to Jesus Himself. Rather than appealing to the authority of the Law or of His predecessors, as the rabbis did, Jesus appeals to His own divine authority. The closest Old Testament parallel is the solemn declaration, "Thus says the Lord." Jesus speaks with divine authority.

A fourth key piece of evidence for Jesus' divine authority was His claim to have authority over the Law. Jesus speaks both as the authoritative interpreter of the Old Testament Law, but also as the One with authority to fulfill or transform it. Let's discuss each of these, in turn.

First is Jesus' authority to interpret the Law. This is seen, perhaps, most clearly in six antitheses of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:21-48. Here Jesus contrasts what was said in the past with His own authoritative interpretation. For example, Jesus says it's not just murder that is sin, but anger, murder of the heart. The command against adultery extends to lust, which is adultery of the heart. God's command for justice, eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth, was often used as an excuse for personal vengeance, but Jesus calls for a response of lovingkindness when confronted with evil. Love should be shown not only to your neighbor, but even to your enemies. This reflects the heart of God, Who shows kindness even to sinners.

A series of sabbath controversies also emphasizes the true meaning of the Law. When the religious leaders accused Jesus or His disciples of breaking the sabbath by picking grain or by healing the sick, Jesus teaches that the sabbath was made for people, not people for the sabbath. The true meaning of the sabbath is not a legalistic prohibition against work. It's to provide God's people with opportunities for rest and for worship.

While much of Jesus's teaching brings out the true essence of the Law, other teaching seems to go beyond this, initiating a radical, new orientation to the Law. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus says that He did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. What does this mean, to fulfill the Law? I believe the best explanation is to be found in the Last Supper narrative, where Jesus establishes a new Passover ceremony with His disciples as the new people of God. Jesus says, "This cup is the New Covenant in My blood."

The New Covenant, I believe, is the covenant of Jeremiah 31, where God promises that, in the end times, He would establish a New Covenant with His people. This New Covenant would result in the Law being written, not on tablets of stone, but on people's hearts. It would provide true knowledge of God and full and eternal forgiveness of sins. The best explanation of Jesus' claim to fulfill the Law, then, means to bring to completion the first covenant by establishing this new and greater covenant, one that will result in complete and permanent forgiveness of sins, the true knowledge of God, and restoration of fellowship with Him. We'll return to this New Covenant theme when we talk about the significance of Jesus's death.

A fifth piece of evidence for Jesus' divine authority is the significance He gives to His miracles. As we've noted before, it's widely accepted, by both liberals and conservatives, that Jesus was recognized by His contemporaries as a healer and as an exorcist. What significance did He give to these miracles? We sometimes think of the miracles as just proof that Jesus was Who He said He was. Anyone who could do these things must be sent from God, but the miracles are much more than that. They're symbols or metaphors illustrating the scope and significance of His mission.

Take Jesus's exorcisms, for example. In Mark 3:22-27, and its parallels in Matthew and Luke, the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub or the power of Satan. Jesus responds first by refuting the charge, by noting how foolish it would be for Satan to cast out his own demons. But He then offers the real significance of His exorcisms. Matthew 12:28 says, "If it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you." The exorcisms symbolize or represent the final defeat of Satan. This is proof that the dominion of Satan is being demolished and is giving way to the final establishment of the Kingdom of God. That's the significance of the exorcisms.

Like the exorcisms, Jesus's healings are also closely associated with His preaching about the Kingdom of God. This comes out most clearly in the question of John the Baptist in Luke 7:18-23 and its parallel in Matthew 11. John the Baptist, imprisoned by Herod Antipas, sends his disciples to ask whether Jesus is indeed the Coming One, that is the Messiah. John evidently had doubts about Jesus, because Jesus wasn't establishing the Kingdom, as John had expected, by conquering the Romans. The passage has the ring of authenticity, since the Church is unlikely to have invented a saying in which John the Baptist, who is elsewhere a key witness to Jesus, expresses doubts about who Jesus is.

But Jesus' response to John's question is fascinating. He says this. He says, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard. The blind receive sight. The lame walk. Those who have leprosy are cleansed. The death, here, the dead are raised and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor."

Now, Jesus is not just saying, "See my miracles. I must be the Messiah." He is alluding to passages from Isaiah that speak of the consummation of the Kingdom of God, the restoration of all of creation. At that time, there'll be no more sickness, no more blindness, no more poverty, no more death. Isaiah 35:5-6, for example, reads, "Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy." This is God's new creation. Jesus' healing miracles are proof that the new creation, the Kingdom of God, is arriving through His words and actions. That's an astonishing claim to authority.

Sixth, and closely related to His miracles, is Jesus' authority to forgive sins in the account of the healing of a paralyzed man in Mark 2:1-12. It's got parallels in Matthew 9 and Luke 5. In that episode, four men bring their friend to a crowded home where Jesus is teaching. When they can't get in the door, they uncover the thatched roof and lower the paralyzed man to Jesus.

While everyone is expecting Jesus to heal the man, Jesus shockingly says to him, "Your sins are forgiven." The religious leaders who are present are aghast, thinking in their hearts, He's blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God alone? Ironically, while they are denying Jesus' authority to forgive sins, He is reading their minds, an attribute of God. Jesus then says, "Which is easier, to say to this paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and take your mat and walk'? But I want you to know the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." So, He says, "I tell you, get up, take your mat, and go." The man gets up and walks out, and everyone is amazed.

You see, by healing the man, Jesus demonstrates His divine authority to forgive sins. The two go hand-in-hand, because the restoration of the physical creation directly results from the reconciliation of humanity with their Creator, God, through the forgiveness of sins. This passage illustrates that these two kinds of healing, spiritual and physical, are two sides of the same coin, both evidence of the presence and power of the Kingdom of God being inaugurated through Jesus's words and actions.

A seventh astonishing claim made by Jesus was that He had authority as the final judge of the world, and that the destiny of human beings depended on their response to Him. In Mark 8:35-38, Jesus says, "For whoever wants to save their life will use it, but whoever loses their life for Me and for the Gospel will save it. If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father's glory with the holy angels."

In Matthew 10:32-33, and its parallel in Luke 12, Jesus says, "Whoever acknowledges Me before others, I will also acknowledge before My Father in heaven, but whoever disowns Me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven." The Old Testament portrays God alone as the judge of the whole world, yet Jesus claims the prerogative to act as final judge of the righteous and the wicked. In this regard, see also the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew chapter 25, where it's the Son of Man Who determines the final destiny of all humanity.

In this session, we've looked at Jesus' messianic and divine authority, revealed in a variety of ways in Jesus' ministry; His proclamation of the Kingdom of God; His call of 12 disciples as the restored nation of Israel; His authoritative teaching; His authority to interpret and fulfill the Old Testament Law; His exorcisms and healings as signs of the restoration of creation; His authority to forgive sins; and His authority as final Judge of all humanity. In our last two sessions, we're going to talk about the two most controversial and theologically significant events in Jesus's life: His death and His resurrection.