11.09.07
The Authority of the King: Christ’s Authority to Preach (Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15; Luke 4:14-15)
The Authority of the King: Christ’s Authority to Preach (Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15; Luke 4:14-15)
So far we have seen the introduction of Christ to the nation of Israel. Starting now, we will begin to see a new emphasis – the authentication of the Messenger. You have seen that miracles were used to authenticate Christ. These signs were proof that the nation should accept His person and receive His message. In the next few lessons we will look at His authentication of Himself.
In Luke we see the Spirit led Christ to Galilee, so Jesus is operating in the power and guidance of Holy Spirit (just as we are commanded to do). The folks that had seen the works and miracles of Christ in Jerusalem now welcomed Him to their town. Jesus is seen teaching in the synagogues here – basically doing the work of a Rabbi. He would look at the scriptures (that’s the OT), read them, explain them, cause folks to understand them – in other words they understood the truth that had been hidden from them previously. How? By the Word.
Matthew and Mark convey that Jesus was also preaching. He proclaimed the Word of God to the people. And….His message may look familiar, it’s the same one His cousin John proclaimed.
In Mark – you see this is called good news. It was the fulfillment of the covenant promise to Israel. The kingdom they waited for, the kingdom they longed for was near! Again, repentance is tied into this. Repentance involved an acknowledgement of sin and resulted in a restoration to fellowship with God from their state of alienation.
Now, if you look at these passages from a parallel chronological standpoint, you may notice…
Matt – the kingdom of heaven…
Mark – the kingdom of God…
Some have looked at these differences and want to show that there is proof that Jesus is speaking of 2 different kingdoms. Looking at the writers, you will note that Matthew normally used the term ‘kingdom of heaven’ in keeping with the Jewish fear of taking the name of the Lord in vain. So Matthew consistently substitutes God’s dwelling place instead of using the name of God.
Fairbairn notes that this may be best understood by looking at the antithesis.
‘The kingdom of heaven’ stands opposed to the kingdoms of earth, the great world-empires that lived and ruled by the strength of their armies. ‘The kingdom of God’ has as its opposite the kingdom of evil, or Satan, the great empire of anarchy and darkness, creative of misery and death to man.
Also, since no prophet was self-appointed, evidence of divine authority is evidenced by Jesus in his Prophet-Teacher role.
What is it you need to authenticate someone? Some special credentials (an expert on…or trained in…)? Or living proof by a persons life? Or maybe a voting record? What is it that Christ expects from us that shows we’re authentic kids of His?
