Jesus says, “your sins are forgiven”. Perhaps you think “Only God can forgive sin, and Jesus is only a man.” Well, he’s challenging your perception of what authority he has. Jesus has authority to clear out the temple, and he has the authority to forgive sins, because he is Lord God.
What about when you hear him say “Before Abraham was, I am”. You might think “What is he thinking, claiming that he was around before Abraham!?” And yet he has the authority to say such a thing, because he’s the eternal God!
He says, “I and the Father are one.” What a claim! How do you respond?
“All authority in heaven and on earth…” (So, all the authority) Jesus says, “Has been given to me.” So, there is not one bit of authority that Jesus doesn’t have. Not one right that Jesus doesn’t have. Nothing that Jesus cannot claim as his. No part of your life where you can say “That’s not really Jesus’s zone. No. It’s all his zone.
So, he says “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Meaning that the love he wants you to have for him is so great, it makes all other loves in your life look like hate.
He says, “Whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me”. So, you’ve got to be willing to go through a painful and humiliating death if you want to follow Jesus.
He says, “Love your enemies.” And that’s the hardest one for some people, because they think, what, the person who abused me? The person who murdered my family? The person who stole my mum’s money? The person who betrayed me? I have to love, them? That’s the authority that Jesus has. To demand even that.
He says, “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.” But to that we may say “Oh Jesus doesn’t have the right to demand such radical things of me. But he does.
If you respond to anything that the Lord Jesus demands either by saying “Jesus doesn’t have the right to demand such things.” Or by saying, “He doesn’t mean that.” Then you’re fighting a losing battle.
Don’t look to deny what Jesus says, start from the place where you accept, “Jesus has all authority to demand whatever he wants of me. Now what does he want of me? And go from there.”
