When I was a child growing up I was number two of four among my brothers and sisters.  My older sister was number one and she held the authority among the siblings.  She was the most responsible among us and when my mother would leave to go to work she would delegate authority to my older sister.  Gathering the children together, my mother would plead for us to behave well while she was away and to cooperate with my sister who was “in charge”.  I would like to report that I followed my mother’s instructions and that I made things easy for my sister.  However, I am sorry to say, that wasn’t very often the case.  I really didn’t like having someone in authority over me.  That would also be the case when it came to babysitters who were delegated authority over us.  I didn’t want to be “bossed around” and told what to do, even when that “what to do” was something reasonable and good.  Someone having authority over me just didn’t sit well with me.  I figure that I’m going to do a good deal of time in purgatory for the trouble that I caused my sister.  She really didn’t deserve it for she was only trying to keep the peace and establish a little order in our home.

     Delegating authority is essential for a well-ordered community.  We need good, responsible and righteous leaders in authority who will serve their people well in keeping order.  We also need a people who will respect and obey the legitimate authority of those who have been appointed to keep order in our communities.  Those who have been delegated authority usually are instructed to speak and teach something that has been entrusted to them.  They act on the word of a higher authority.  In the time of the Old Testament, the prophets were delegated the authority to speak the words of God.  Moses was the greatest of the prophets and he went up the mountain to speak with God and brought back to the people the words of God written on stone tablets.  These ten commandments were the words and teaching of God and Moses was appointed and given the authority to teach the people the way of living in a covenantal relationship with God.  The people of Israel were instructed to listen to the word of God and obey it.  If the people would listen and respect the authority of the prophets who spoke to them the word of God, then they would be blessed with a beautiful life.  If they ignored the words of the prophets, then things would not go well for the people.

     Moses assures his people that God will raise up a prophet like Moses who is good and righteous and he will have the responsibility to speak and teach the word of God.  He will speak and teach the words that God has given him to speak and placed in his mouth.  The people then must listen to the word of God and keep it in their hearts.  God has the ultimate authority which is passed down to Moses and then is entrusted to prophets who are raised up in God’s name to hand on the word with the authority of a faithful witness.

     Jesus is the prophet that is sent by God to surpass the authority of Moses and teach, preach and govern with true authority.  He is the Word of God and he is the faithful witness of God’s glory.  Jesus teaches the people with an authority that they have never witnessed before for he fulfills the words that he teaches with the witness of his life.  He is the fulfillment of all of God’s promises to his people.  His words are powerful and even the demons listen to the words of Jesus and obey his commands.  On the mountain of Transfiguration, God speaks on behalf of his Son, acknowledging his authority and instructing Peter, James and John to “Listen to him.”  Jesus will later affirm for the people that the words he speaks and teaches are not his own but that it is the Father who is speaking through him.  The words that Jesus speaks are truly the words of God.  At the time of his Ascension, Jesus gives all power and authority to his apostles and sends them to the ends of the earth to teach and preach that word and to baptize all the nations.  The apostles hand on authority to their successors and so the authority passes over to all those who are ordained to minister in the person of Christ Jesus.

     The younger version of myself often questioned authority and rebelled against those who were given authority, especially my older sister.  I was not quick to listen and I was even slower to obey.  Don’t be like that immature version of myself who made life difficult by my stubbornness.  Listen and obey those who have been given legitimate authority, it makes things easier for all involved.  Speak Lord, your servant is listening.  Those are the words I want to live by today.