Authority

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus went to Capernaum and he encountered a man who was possess at the synagogue.

He freed the man by telling the spirit to”Be quiet! Come out of him!” And the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and left with a loud cry.

It is interesting to note that the unclean spirit recognized Jesus first and challenged Him saying “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?”

They were afraid of Him as they recognized His authority over them since He is the Son God.

This authority also is recognized by the people whom He was preaching to as it is noted that “his teaching made a deep impression on them because, unlike the scribes, he taught them with authority.”

Jesus was not a scholar who just taught theory. He taught with His whole being as He was the voice of God.

Along with his miracles this allowed His reputation to spread throughout the surrounding Galilean countryside.

The question for us then is, do we recognize the authority of Jesus?

We are called and we hear Him in scripture, asking us to change our lives, to repent, to draw closer to Him.

But do we listen?

Or are we lukewarm in this endeavor because there are so many more important things going on in our busy lives?

Let’s truly reflect upon the authority Jesus has on our lives. So that we may mould ourselves to be his loyal subjects to gain his mercy and love and eventually a place in His eternal kingdom.