Matthew 10-11 Spiritual Authority

I seem to find the matter of authority in every chapter of Matthew. Authority is so important, because without it, a person makes claims he or she has no right to make. If I have AUTHORity, then I have the right to write something and have it count; otherwise, it's just me expressing my opinion. A person with authority can write a law, and others have to obey it. Kings and governments have civil authority, judges have legal jurisdiction, and parents have authority over children. So what about the matter of spiritual authority?

An important detail about authority: it must be given. Just as I cannot baptize myself, so I cannot claim authority for myself. I cannot ordain myself into ministry, lay hands on myself, or declare myself a pastor or a prophet. Such titles must be conferred. That is the very problem that Lucifer had; in his pride he declared himself like God. It was his lie in the Garden, that the woman and the man could become "like God." Jesus in this chapter reiterates the principle that a student is not above his teacher, or a servant greater than his master (10:24). In contrast to the devil, Jesus received His authority through proper channels. He said, "My Father has given me authority over everything." (11:27) By the time we get to the last chapter of this gospel, and Jesus claims to have all authority in heaven and earth, the subtlety of His claim jumps out: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been GIVEN to Me." (28:19)

Jesus gave His disciples authority over evil spirits and over every disease (10:1). In other words, they had the right to speak in both the spiritual and physical realm, and their word would be just as powerful as Jesus' was. Likewise, when I pray in Jesus' name, I pray with the authority of what Jesus would say if He were present, saying what I say. And when the world hates Jesus, it will also hate me, because I bear His name (10:25).

LORD, I love the idea of power and authority. My flesh wants influence and control, and my pride makes me far too much like the fallen angels. But You have said that the disciples have authority, in Jesus' name, over physical and spiritual forces, and I do not want to refuse Your gifts. So, whether it is in the realm of spiritual confrontation with false teaching or with an evil spirit, or it is in the area of authoritative teaching of truth, let me not shrink from what you tell me to do.
-ker


But what an amazingly heavy responsibility! To be given authority means to be given the chance to royally mess up. To mess up not only brain-wise, but to mess with other people's lives, to possibly pull the wrath of God down on you. If I fall victim to my ego and personal wishes, and abuse the authority God gives me in a situation, how clearly I court disaster in unfathomably big ways! I can only pray that God's grace and mercy will abound in a situation like that.
cel