Saturday June 13, 2015

Luke 20:1-8
One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and telling the good news, the chief priests and the scribes came with the elders and said to him, ‘Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?’ 

How would you respond if someone asked you, "by what authority are you doing these things?"  It would depend on the situation, wouldn't it?  

• If I am driving my car I can produce my driver's license and car ownership papers to demonstrate that I have the right or authority to drive my car. Of course that authority is limited by the rules of the Highway Traffic Act in the area where I am driving.
• If I am making and enacting decisions in my workplace I can point to my job description, any number of policies and procedures, and approvals by someone in authority.  If I am unable to do this I may be working outside the realm of what I have been authorized to do.
• Within our families we may negotiate who has the authority to make and enact what decisions.  The source of authority may be based on verbal agreements or unstated understandings.

The question of "authority" looms large in scripture and in our lives.  In this passage from Luke's gospel, the authorities - people with political power and control - challenge Jesus' authority - his power or right to act the way he was acting - to teach and heal.  

But what are we asking when we, like the chief priests, scribes and elders of Jesus' day, ask "by what authority are you doing these things."  As N.T. (Tom) Wright, New Testament scholar and retired Anglican Bishop says,

When people in the church talk about authority they are very often talking about controlling people or situations.  They want to make sure that everything is regulated properly, that the church does not go off the rails doctrinally or ethically, that correct ideas and practices are upheld and transmitted to the next generation.  ‘Authority’ is the place where we go to find out the correct answers to key questions such as these.*

Maybe control isn't the primary motivation we ought to have.  Maybe its more about participating as faithfully as we can in God's mission in the world.  

In the past couple of decades there has been a lot of discussion about authority in the Anglican Communion.  Much of the discussion has been centered on the debate about the blessing or marriage of same-sex couples but whatever the situation is that confronts us, in Anglicanism, we understand that Scripture, Tradition, and Reason are the three sources of authority for our beliefs and actions.  These sources of authority are sometimes described as a three-legged stool or as three-ply yarn in an attempt to illustrate how the three elements need to be held in tension and balance with each other.  In Anglicanism there are also various structures - consultative or decision-making bodies - of authority.  (If you'd like to learn more I can recommend an article on the Anglican Church of Canada website: go to www.anglican.ca/faith/identity/an-anglican-understanding-of-authority/).

You may wish to reflect on the place of authority in your life:

• What are the sources of authority for your beliefs and actions?  How do they influence your decisions?
• Are there any changes God might be calling you to make with respect to how you use or appeal to authority?

- Marilyn Malton

* From How Can the Bible Be Authoritative?  (The Laing Lecture 1989, and the Griffith Thomas Lecture 1989.  Originally published in Vox Evangelica, 1991, 21, 7-32.