Authoritative Teaching

⏱️ 5 minutes.

Hello dear ones,

Today, let’s take a look at how Jesus taught in the synagogue, specifically focusing on His authoritative teaching:

And they went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach. And they were astonished at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
— Mark 1:21-22

We pick up the scene after Jesus has chosen His disciples. With Him are the two sets of brothers: Simon and Andrew, the sons of John, and James and John, the sons of Zebedee. We’re told that this was a Saturday, as the Jewish Sabbath was observed on that day.

On the Sabbath, people would gather in the synagogues for worship, which often included teaching from a rabbi. Occasionally, a visiting rabbi would be invited to share the Word. This was the case when Jesus visited the synagogue on this particular Sabbath.

It’s important to note that while Jesus’ ministry was full of miracles and signs, we should not neglect the fact that a significant part of His ministry was His teaching. In fact, one might even argue that the larger part of our Lord’s ministry was centered on teaching.

In our day, we find that less attention is given to the teaching of the Word. Evidence of this can be seen in how little time is allocated to preaching during church services. It used to be that preaching took a significant amount of time, with additional Bible study opportunities throughout the week.

However, today, it’s more common to find the teaching of the Word condensed into a fifteen- or thirty-minute TED talk, focusing on inspiration, motivation, financial breakthroughs, or the health and wealth gospel. More time is often devoted to emotional aspects of the service, such as singing worldly styles of music, intended to drive emotional responses and dancing.

Despite the reduced time allocated for preaching and teaching, we also find that these are the moments when congregants may fall asleep, check their phones, or step out for a bathroom break. Such behavior would have been unthinkable in Jesus’ day.

Where the Sabbath was completely dedicated to the worship of God, today even Sunday services are often squeezed into an hour to make room for more recreational activities over the weekend.

This should lead us as believers to carefully consider where our hearts are:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
— Matthew 6:19-21

Mark goes on to tell us that Jesus’ teaching was unlike any other. His teaching was characterized by authority. Here was a teacher who understood the authority of God’s Word. As one commentator notes:

“Jesus’ authoritative teaching, as the spoken word of God, was in sharp contrast to that of the scribes (experts in the OT Scriptures), who based their authority largely on that of other rabbis. Jesus’ direct, personal, and forceful teaching was so foreign to their experience that those who heard Him were ‘astonished.’”
— John MacArthur

A similar concern can be raised regarding the level of authority in the preaching of the Word in some of our churches today. Instead of relying on the authority of God’s Word, we see preachers relying heavily on storytelling, comedic relief, politics, and other experiential and emotional anecdotes to “spice up” the service.

It’s not uncommon to see preachers delivering “sermons” drawn from self-help books or inspirational quotes by public figures. We see messages on topics like “how to get more customers in your business,” “the five steps to financial freedom,” or even “how to force God to give you what you want,” saturating the pulpit.

This approach is completely unlike what Paul exhorts Titus and Timothy to do regarding preaching and teaching:

These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
— Titus 2:15

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and teaching.
— 2 Timothy 4:1-2

But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
— 2 Timothy 4:5

As believers, we need to be careful not to fall into the trap of settling for unauthoritative teaching. If anything, we should encourage our leaders to provide us with spiritual nourishment rather than just tickling our ears:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
— 2 Timothy 4:3-4

And for those who populate the pulpit, let’s remember that we will be held accountable for our teaching and preaching ministries, so we must proceed with caution:

Do not, many of you, become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment.
— James 3:1

I pray that as we look at Jesus’ authoritative teaching ministry, we can see the standard that was set and strive towards that goal.

Be blessed, brethren.