Mtr Mary Trainor

Dear friend,

Authority and power. Who has it and how do they get it? And if they don’t have the right to exercise their power, we are quick to notice. “You’re not the boss of me.” “You can’t tell me what to do.” Phrases such as these from contemporary conversations may show our sensitivity to being directed by someone whose authority we question.

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Today’s Office Gospel from Luke is largely about authority and power. Jesus has been teaching in the temple. His “congregation,” we infer, is pleased about this “good news” he is sharing--news about love, meaning for their lives, hope. They are not questioning Jesus’ authority, my guess is, because his message rings true. They don’t need documentation, proof, evidence. The heart knows what the heart knows, and God speaks directly to our hearts.

But we know Jesus is not pleasing everyone. The religious establishment, the chief priests, the elders, the scribes--those with formal, stated authority--are worried. They have earned their power, they believe. They are qualified for their jobs. And now some rag-tag preacher from Galilee without credentials, is stealing the hearts of people. What would happen to the Second Temple Judaism? What would happen to them and their positions/roles if the “unqualified” Jesus put them out of business?

A group of such leaders approached Jesus and said, “...by what authority are you doing these things.”

It would be one thing if the question were genuine, but it is not. They mean to trap Jesus. He outwits them, of course, posing a question to them that they are unwilling to answer. So, stalemate.

It never occurs to them that his authority comes from the greatest source of all. What they know is that he threatens their standing and credibility, and they seek to undermine him.

What does all of this have to say to me, a worshiper of Jesus in 2021?

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Authority and power. Who has it and how did they get it? We still worry about such things, at least in our regular day-to-day lives. The boss. The landlord. The husband. The wife. The IRS. We could construct a very long list. And while they can rankle us, mostly we comply with these forces.

Then there is Jesus, who has complete authority over my life, my death, my continued life and yet there are occasions in which I know I am not in alignment with his desires for me. Sometimes it feels as though I am stuck in a circular rut, born human, with a strong will, sometimes just plowing through a day.

My saving grace, maybe yours, is grace itself. The undeserved mercy of a merciful Lord, too full of love to write me off for being too bossy, standing by until I circle back again.

Mtr Mary