I Fight Authority
1: The Way to Begin Again | Scene 4: Weak and Distant | Day 6 of 6
The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
- Mark 1:27–28“I fight authority. Authority always wins.”
If you’re Generation X, you probably recognize the John Mellencamp song. It is catchy, rebellious, and like a lot of things from the ‘80s, still resonates. There is something deeply American, maybe even deeply human, about resisting authority.
We glorify whistleblowers. We love iconoclasts. We instinctively distrust the powerful.
Why? Because many of us have experienced power that was manipulative, arrogant, or abusive. And once you have been burned, you don’t forget the heat.
So, we build a default sociology that says, the powerful are corrupt. And then we build a default theology on top that says:
God is all-powerful.
We suffer.
Therefore, God must be cruel, or at least indifferent.
It is not a formal doctrine. It is a gut instinct. But it shapes our ability to trust.
That is what makes today’s passage so powerful. Jesus teaches in the synagogue, and the people are stunned—not by a miracle, but by His words.
“What is this? A new teaching—and with authority!”
This wasn’t force of personality. It wasn’t volume. It was something deeper: Jesus spoke as someone who knew the truth. And when He did, impure spirits obeyed.
Naturally, people talked.
What we read next is a glimpse at the buzz as they walked away from having heard Jesus speak.
Understand the context. Many people had real problems with authority, just as they do today. A robust tradition among the local Jewish men was to fight the power. In a previous generation, the Maccabees had fomented revolution. More recently, a group of young Jewish males had torn down the big Roman eagle off of the Temple, and even today, some people carried around short daggers, looking for opportunities to eliminate enemies in big public gatherings.
So people had opinions about authority, just as they do now.
It is in this context that the people said, this Jesus is different. His teaching is authoritative.
People acknowledging authority in an anti-authoritarian age.
Our reaction to authority always reveals something about our view of God. It will take many entries to fully unpack this, but let me start with a question:
When you think of God’s authority, how do you feel?
If you’re like many people, your default reaction is shaped by your experiences. Teachers who embarrassed you. Bosses who controlled you. Parents who didn’t listen. If those were your models, trusting divine authority doesn’t come easy.
What if God is not abusive or detached, but gracious and compassionate, “slow to anger, abounding in love,” as Exodus 34 says?
I’m no different. I can submit to authority that is wise, just, and kind. But if it feels selfish or power-hungry? No, thanks; I will go my own way. And that is the rub: what we believe about authority isn’t just political or organizational. It is spiritual. If we believe God is just another authority figure on a power trip, we will never trust Him.
But what if God doesn’t ask for submission because He’s insecure, but because He is good?
We can’t separate our view of God’s power from our experience of human power.
Some contemporary theologies want to remove “king” language. But trying to minimize the Almighty is no answer. Rather, let’s reconsider our relationship to authority.
If God is the king of Kings, who uses His power to heal, forgive, and restore, then surrender doesn’t feel like losing. It feels like freedom.
What Jesus was saying wasn’t new. It just felt new because it was finally true again. Jesus would later comment that He hadn’t come to change the Law, but to fulfill it. He was stripping away generations of bad interpretation and restoring God’s voice. God’s Word is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Yet when we fully hear it, it can hit like a thunderbolt.
That is what the people in Capernaum heard. It’s what sparked the buzz and why news spread. Because it was good.
What they didn’t yet know was that they didn’t just hear a good sermon.
They had just heard the voice of God.
Jesus’ authority is not like human power. It is powerful, personal, and good. It just sounds strange and different in a world shaped by the impure and destructive thinking of power that is dominating and oppressive. Jesus’ message about God is actually the same message about God that has been the same throughout history. If it sounds new, it’s simply because our thinking has become so twisted.
We have much more to explore on the nature of power in the stories to come.
Pray
Lord, I confess that I resist authority. I don’t always trust those in charge—including you—when life hurts. But You are not like the powers of this world. Your authority is good, and your love heals. Teach me to learn to listen and lean on you. Amen.
Live It
Rebel: On a scale of 1 to 10, how much of a rebel are you? Write down one place where you’re resisting God, not because He is cruel, but because you’re still not sure you can trust His power.
Lie Detector: Think about this cultural script: “If someone has power, they’re probably using it for themselves.” Now hold it next to this truth from Exodus 34: “The Lord… compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” List an example from culture. Then, write a truth about God to replace it.
Keyword Shift: On a piece of paper, draw a vertical line. Based on what you just read, to the left of the line, write a keyword that represents what you thought about God before reading. To the right, write what changed. If you think of more than one keyword shift, write them down.
Reframe: Write down one area of your life where God might be calling you to trust His authority. Hint: It is an area where you normally resist.
Act on Trust: Choose one practical act of surrender. Maybe It is silence in prayer instead of talking. Maybe It is obedience without full understanding. Do it not out of pressure, but to practice trust.
Where We Are: Season 1 | Scene 4 of 6 | Day 6 of 6
Next: After this scene, we’ll move to Scene Five: The Lie That God Just Wants to Use Me