What captures your attention in today’s gospel (Mark 1:21-28)? What astounds you about this story?  

When I hear this story my attention is almost always drawn to the man with an unclean spirit. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what captures your attention too. It’s dramatic, sensational, and hard to ignore. 

But today what astounds me about this text is that the people in the synagogue are astounded not by the exorcism they see but by the teaching of Jesus.

• “They were astounded by his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority.”
• “They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, ‘What is this?
  A new teaching — with authority!’”

Jesus teaching with authority is what captured their attention. What about you and me? Are we seeking the sensational or the transformative? 

When was the last time a teaching of Jesus astounded you? Does your jaw drop when you hear Jesus say, “Blessed are those who mourn,” Blessed are the peacemakers,” “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake”? Are you dumbfounded that Jesus would say, “Put away your sword,” “Turn the other cheek,” “Love your enemies”? Are you amazed that he would ask us to sell our possessions and give the money to the poor? 

What if we were astounded by those and the other teachings of Jesus? Imagine, if we were astounded, the differences we might make in our world today in terms of compassion, forgiveness, care for the poor, our commitment to nonviolence, our refusal to take revenge, our presence to those in need, our willingness to change our minds.  

I think we hear the teachings of Jesus and most of the time we recognize them as familiar, shake our heads in agreement, and think to ourselves, Yes, that’s Jesus. But here’s my question: Is it us? Is that also you and me? And that’s really a question about who or what has authority in our lives. 

Maybe that’s what happened to the people in the synagogue in today’s gospel. They heard a new voice of authority and they began to rethink authority in their lives. And they were astounded.

We all come to moments when we’re asked to rethink the voice of authority in our lives. Here are some of my experiences with that.

When I was about five years old my mom, sister, and I went to the dime store. There was a really cool little toy rocket that I wanted but my mom wouldn’t buy it for me. Now a smart criminal would have just kept it in his pocket until he got home and then hid it among the other toys. Not me. As soon as I got in the car I reached in my pocket and with much fake surprise said, “Mom! Look what I just found in my pocket.”

Mission Control had a problem with this. She took me by the hand and led me back into the store. I stood in front of the manager crying. I gave him back the rocket and told him I was sorry. I was so embarrassed and ashamed. I felt so bad about myself and I never wanted to feel like that again. It was the start of rethinking authority in my life. 

Back when I was practicing law I attended a partner’s meeting and questioned a standard and accepted billing practice. I didn’t think it was right and couldn’t do it any more. A new voice of authority was speaking in me. They were astounded and a few months later I left the firm.

One Saturday night Cyndy said to me, “I miss you.” She was asking me to rethink authority in my life. I had worked a full week in the office, worked at home on my day off, and worked most of Saturday getting ready for Sunday. I wish I could tell you that’s the only time she’s said that, but it’s not. Some voices of authority are harder to shake than others. 

A few years ago on sabbatical I met with Sr. Marie, a wise woman, friend, and spiritual director. I told her I was going to Mt. Athos, Greece, and that I would be backpacking to and staying at various monasteries. She said to me, “Don’t go there looking for some old monk you think has your answers. Trust your own spirituality.” She was asking me to listen for a different voice of authority. It wouldn’t be in a monk, a book, or the institutional church. It was within me.  

What about you? Who or what are the voices of authority in your life today? And who or what are the people, circumstances, or pain asking you to rethink authority in your life and listen for another voice? What are they asking you to confront and deal with?

The issue isn’t that we don’t have voices of authority in our lives. We do. The issue is where those voices are leading us, what they are giving us, and what they are robbing us of? Are they worthy of our lives? Are we becoming the people Jesus calls us to be?

Every day we hear multiple voices claiming and expressing authority in our lives: parental authority, institutional authority, political authority, economic authority, cultural authority, collective authority. Look around the world today and ask yourself, “How’s that working for us?” I don’t think it is. I think it’s time for us to rethink the voice of authority in our lives today.

I can’t tell you who or what voice is authoritative for your life but I can tell you this. The loudest, most popular, most sensational, most powerful, smartest, meanest, most threatening, the richest, and the majority voices aren’t necessarily the most trustworthy and authoritative voices. 

I wouldn’t presume to tell you who or what should be an authoritative voice for your life but I can offer you some questions I’m asking myself about the voices of authority in my life.

Are they giving and enlarging life or are they adding to the pain of the world or the life of another? Do they offer hope or do they instill fear? Do they invite questions and conversation or do they simply declare and decree? Do they challenge and foster growth or do they demand compliance and status quo? Do they heal or do they hurt? Do they seek unity and wholeness or do they circle the wagons and exclude? Do they look and sound like Jesus or do they look and sound like self-interest? 

We all come to moments when we’re asked to rethink the voice of authority in our lives. But will we? Will we change your minds about who and what has authority in our lives?

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Image Credit: By Unknown author – Scan aus: Rudolf Lehr –- Landes-Chronik Oberösterreich, Wien: Verlag Christian Brandstätter 2004 S. 79 ISBN 3-85498-331-X, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons.