Mk 1:21-28
21[Jesus and his disciples] came to Capernaum, and on the sabbath [Jesus] entered the synagogue and taught. 22The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. 23In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; 24he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” 25Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” 26The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. 27All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” 28His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.
What is this… authority?: Is it the power to command, to have people under us running where we tell them to? Is it the power we hold on others? or the many titles attached to our names or up our sleeves?
Authority is our conviction within. It is the faith we hold in our hearts no matter the odds, the principle and values we live on, and the hope that guides our every action. Authority is the love that moves our being, the reason for our living, and the mission of our life.
Discover these in your hearts and you will have authority! And no evil spirit or demon can shake you. As it is said, work like you do not need money, love like you have never been hurt, and dance like no one is watching. Live free and live with authority.
Synagogue: The Hebrew qahal and the Greek synagogue mean the assembly of people and later refer to the Jewish place of assembly for prayer and instruction. The synagogue arose as a result of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 587 BC and the dispersion of the Jews outside of Israel. The synagogue was not, unlike the Temple, a house where God dwelt and where burnt sacrifices were offered. Rather, it was a meeting house for prayer and the study of the Torah, maintained and managed by the elders of the community.