Certified (2)

Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.” John 7:16

Sent – “You gotta’ serve somebody,” sang Bob Dylan.  He might have written that song for Jesus.  We are quick to assert that Jesus is His own authority, but that’s not what He says of Himself.  He serves another.  His message comes from someone else.  If you have a problem with the content, take it up with the One who wrote it, not the messenger.

Jesus answers the query about His authority in a way that every Jew would understand.  In fact, Jesus actually agrees with their implication.  Anyone who teaches for his own glory is not to be trusted.  That’s what the Judeans are concerned about.  Jesus seems to be vouching for Himself, so He assures them that He is not.  He brings proclamation and clarification of the Father’s teaching.  Of course, when Jesus answers in this way, He is claiming a special role for Himself – the role of a prophet.  In Hebrew thought, a true prophet never brings his own message.  He comes with a message from God.  In fact, more often than not, a true prophet doesn’t even want to bring the message because he knows that the message will be confrontational, demanding and dangerous.  But he is compelled by the Spirit to say what God wants said.

Now the discussion shifts back to the audience.  They recognize the power in Jesus’ words.  They realize that He speaks with an authority beyond Himself.  Then Jesus tells them, in no uncertain terms, that He comes as a prophet of the Most High.  Now they have to decide what to do with what they hear.  If Jesus really is a messenger from God, and all of His accompanying signs indicate that He is, then what He says carries tremendous consequences.  They cannot afford to ignore Him.

The Greek word here is not apostello.  In this context, Jesus is not an apostle.  That word means “to be sent forth, to send off.”  Apostello implies sending with delegated authority.  Here the word is pempo.  It means “to thrust out, to dispatch,” with the idea that the authority is retained by the sender.  When Jesus answers the question, He does not suggest that He takes the authority on Himself.  He says that He stands on the authority of the One who sent Him.  The Jews would have expected that.  The surprise comes in what the message says – that Yeshua is the Messiah.  They did not expect that.  So, now they have a problem.  Jesus comes with the proper authority, and the accompanying evidence, but the message challenges all that they held dear.  Some respond.  Most do not.

That’s true today.  Some hear what Jesus says.  They feel the power in His words.  They see the evidence.  They accept the message.  Most do not.  Of course, as Christians, we congratulate ourselves that we have seen the truth.  But have we?  Are we really listening to the whole message; the message that includes endorsement of the theology of the Pharisees, that observes Torah, that challenges our concept of a replacement covenant?  Are we putting all the emphasis on grace instead of obedience.  Are we really listening?  Or are we like that audience, not quite willing to have Jesus say to us, “The teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me”?

Topical Index:  Authority