Real Authority, It Calms

How the modern approach to authority and power are not akin to Jesus Christ of Nazareth

Lake Superior - Photo by Young Yi

“He replied, ’You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!’”

Matthew 8:26-27

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There are a few people in life, where even now at the age of 32, whenever I see them, my heart skips a beat. No, not out of a romantic feeling, but out of anxiety.

My sympathetic nervous system kicks in.

Hear rate rises.
Pupils dilate.
Anxiety sets in.

Got someone like that too?

The people for me (who I will not name) are people who have some form of authority in my life or had some in the past. And in some far away or close-up memory, the authority was abused, leveraged, or executed in a detrimental way, with me as the recipient.

It’s an all too familiar occurrence in different societal spaces. From our homes, to local churches and ministries, to local and national government offices - authority and power being abused runs amuck. In some instances, we see it happen in the most blatant and obvious ways. In others, it takes on a more sinister veil and happens subtly, behind the scenes and behind closed doors.

War/genocide in Gaza.
Police brutality.
American politics.
Local Church clergy.

The list can go on and on.

Wherever authority and power have been abused, people have either been traumatized or worse, have literally died. All because authority and power were not being utilized in the way it was meant to be utilized: for the flourishing and thriving of those who are under that authority.

In most, if not all cases where authority and power are abused, those who are in power gain and those who are subdued tend to face loss and suffering.

Believe it or not, but authority and power was never meant to be a “bad” thing.

Scripturally and theologically speaking, the dominion that was given by God to Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:28-29) to execute over the earth became riddled with sin (along with everything else), and we see this plague humanity as people begin to not just subdue the earth, but subdue and execute dominion and rule over one another.

And that’s the thing: authority and power are not innately bad.

The command to have dominion over the earth, from God to Adam and Eve, was given prior to sin entering the world. There was a time once where humanity dominated the earth and all living creatures with a non-destructive practice of authority and power.

But again, because of sin, it perverts something which God created and begins to unravel the “tov” in which creation was made out of and into. Where one’s interests gain supremacy and the interests of others yield without choice.

Which is why whenever I come across the story of Jesus calming the winds and the waves, it shocks my mind. Juxtaposed over our modern context where authority and power are being abused left and right, Jesus’ use of His authority and power showcase something much different.

It’s no surprise later in the Gospel accounts, when Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey, it is another showcase of His relationship and understanding of true authority.

It’s no surprise when Jesus cries out to His Father, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will”, it is another showcase of His relationship and understanding of true authority.

It’s no surprise Jesus doesn’t summon two dozen legions of angels to come to His aid when the Roman soldiers come to arrest Him, it is another showcase of His relationship and understanding of true authority.

It’s no surprise when Jesus is hanging on the cross and the people mock Him, shouting, “if you are God’s son, then come down from the cross!” … and He doesn’t. Though He could have removed the nails from His hands and feet, and confronted the mockers face-to-face in pure glory and power, He stays on the cross dying for the sins of the world and showcasing yet again His relationship and understanding of true authority.

You see the pattern here?

Jesus doesn’t just have perfect power and authority, He also has perfect relationship with power and authority. For Jesus and from Jesus - anxiety, abuse, trauma, and distrust are not what others experience from the use of His authority and power. Rather, Jesus’ authority and power bring peace, calm, and order.

Real authority remains calm and brings calm.
Real authority creates peace and maintains peace.
Real authority doesn’t jockey for power, but understands when to lay it down.

Does the way you wield and exercise your authority and power reflect the way Jesus wields and exercises His?

In our modern era, may we see the example of Jesus shine through. The one who is called Alpha and the Omega. The King of Kings. The Lord of Lords. The Creator of the world. The example from the one with all authority in heaven and on earth must lead the way on how we are to exercise our authority and power: with all humility and gentleness.