What kind of authority do you have?

Hebrews 2:5-12; Mark 1:21-28

In today’s gospel passage, Jesus was described as having a particular authority.  It was different than the kind held or claimed by many religious or governmental officials.  Theirs was by virtue of their office or perhaps their training.  By contrast, Jesus had a remarkable and integral kind of authority—the kind that can only come from being the Son of God and the only kind powerful enough to drive out demons.

Exterior authority—from an office, degree, professional license, ordination etc.—should not be easily dismissed.  However, it can also be undermined by living a “double life” or strengthened by one’s interior authority, the kind that comes from striving to live a life of integrity. 

By virtue of our baptism and our call to be disciples of Jesus, we can possess both and interior and exterior authority to be exercised for God’s glory and the service of God’s people.  We pray for the grace to be people—parents, coaches, teachers, pastors, bosses, public officials, etc.—of integrity. –JC