Speaking with real authority

Homily for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B 2012

“They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Any number of people can get up in front of a crowd and put on the trappings of authority, claiming truth for their message. In some cases the reaction will be immediate: this is an impostor, this person is suffering from delusions, from megalomania. The audience will turn away and not listen. In other cases they will listen, but not recognize that the spellbinding person before them is a fraud, beset with deep psychological problems, and they are carried away, often with terrible consequences. Just think of Hitler or of many contemporary dictators who manage to fool their people at least until they wake up and realize that they have been living in a nightmare.

But in the case of Jesus, there was a sense among the crowds that his authority was genuine. His words deserved to be heeded. “What is this? A new teaching – with authority!”. They were puzzled, their universe was being turned upside down because of what Jesus was advocating, many of them eventually rejected him, but they sensed his authority.

In this Gospel passage his authority is proven by the fact that he is able to command the unclean spirits and they obey him. The crowds are amazed. They know that there is something powerful and without precedent in what Jesus is saying and doing.

But there are many other instances of Jesus projecting a sense of authority. He reads the beautiful passage of Isaiah in the synagogue of Capernaum, which begins “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me” and tells them in no uncertain terms that those words are being realized in his person. He says to the crowds: you have heard it said, referring to the many convoluted interpretations of the law proposed by the scribes and pharisees, but I say to you, speaking on his own authority, speaking words that are direct, compassionate, challenging, full of wisdom. We normally finish our prayers with AMEN, which is a word by which we agree and make our own what the prayer has expressed. Often Jesus begins his words with AMEN: Amen, Amen, I say to you. He is not agreeing with something else’ authority. The AMEN, the sense of trust and reliability is grounded in his own person. Another instance: to prove his claim that he can forgive sins, he cures the paralytic. There are many similar Gospel scenes.

Where does this authority come from? Of course being who he is, the Son of God from all eternity, he spontaneously speaks as God would speak, but without drawing attention to his prerogatives. He doesn’t tell people ahead of time that he is divine. He speaks in human terms and lets his words speak for themselves.

If we go to the first reading, we find another source of his authority. He has authority because he listens to God his Father. The prophet which Moses predicted is to speak in the name of God, to speak the words that God commands him. In other words his authority to speak as a human being is enhanced by listening to God his Father and being attuned to the movements of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus did during his human journey. It is not for nothing that Jesus spent long hours in private prayer, often on a mountain top apart from his disciples. This is a secret source of his authority.

Listening to God, but also listening to other human beings. A younger person can try to put on the mantle of authority and speak of things which he or she has not really experienced, and those of us who are older will see through him. An older person who has heard, seen, experienced life over many decades, who has rejoiced, who has suffered, who has shared in the joy and suffering of others, does have something to say. This helps us explain why Jesus spent most of his life hidden away in Nazareth, living the life of his village, learning a trade. He could have been out there preaching, but he needed to learn the lessons of life enough that when he opened his mouth during his public ministry, people would readily recognize that he knew what he was talking about.

None of us has the authority to speak as Jesus spoke. But in the lives we lead within our families and our communities there are times where we are called upon to take on the mantle of authoritative speech and to say something that comes from deep within our hearts and is meant to make a difference in the lives of others.

How can we prepare ourselves for this role of authority? Like Jesus we must listen, we must observe, we must learn what is going on around us. Above all we must listen to God in prayer, to be enlightened by him, to receive the promptings of his Spirit that invite us to speak a powerful word. Otherwise our words will have only the trappings of authority; they will at best be harmless and without impact and at worst cause much damage.

Does all this listening mean that we are subservient? No. Look at the example of Jesus. He was in constant contact with His Father and he spoke the words the Father wanted him to speak. But in doing that he spoke with his own power, his own authority, his own conviction. He made his own all he had heard and observed and the ensuing words came from him.

Likewise with us. Many speak with arrogance, with self-sufficiency, with false self-confidence : listen to the debates going on right now in the endless political season south of the border, and you might catch some of this going on. Others like to protect themselves with appeals to the authority of others. Their speech is studded with references and quotations. Rather than demonstrating authority, this demonstrates insecurity. We seek for that middle space where we are able to make our own what we have heard and reflected on stand by it with confidence. This is my role as preacher. I could launch out on my own with no reference to the Gospel and the teaching of the Church and you would soon realize that I am a fraud. I could cover my traces with one papal document after another, and you would get the sense that I am overly careful and maybe trying to impress. I try to find a middle space where I am both totally receptive and docile and totally confident and authoritative.

This is your role in many areas of life. How to find that middle space. That is the question. The example for all of us is Jesus who listened in depth and compassion to what others had to say, but who spoke with authority when his turn came. Let us follow his example, and hear his words, allowing them to change our lives.