Teaching with authority

Mark 1 : 21 - 28

....he taught them as one who had authority....with authority he commands even the unclean spirits...

No wonder people were amazed. There was a kind of authority in Jesus' teaching that they had never heard before. No one, not even the religious establishment commanded that kind of authority. Somehow, this rabbi was different. He never donned the robes of the most distinguished religious leaders; nor brought attention to himself. He spoke not as one who wanted acclaim; yet he spoke truth that pierced the heart. Never had they heard someone like this before. Who was this? Perhaps that would have gone through my mind if I had been there in the first century. But I am not there. Here in the twenty first century, I have the written Word to tell me who he was. Yet I want to hear anew this person Jesus Christ, whom I now know so much about. He is one in whom I want to entrust my mind and heart.

The country's general elections are coming soon, or so they say. There will be speeches and ceramahs and promises....from each party wanting to gain the support of the people. Soon we will have to decide who we want to entrust with the task of governing us. We put in a lot of effort to find out about the candidates, the different political parties and so on. The gospels introduce us to a non- political leader, who came not to win popularity votes and solve all social problems but to transform human life and human society from the inside out.