January 30, 2021

…for he taught them as one having authority… - Mark 1:22

We live in a time when there seems to be an emphasis placed on personal rights at the expense of the common good. Everyone is an expert, not because they are smart or well-read, but because they say they are an expert. Some don’t identify or respect authority figures. Others say I am my own person, and I have rights. They maintain that nobody can tell them what to do. People speak about THEIR truth, not necessarily THE truth.

While some days it feels like the world has lost its collective mind, we need to stop ourselves from taking a dive into the dark hole of despair. We need to remind ourselves that Jesus was born, lived among us, died for our sins, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is with us still for one reason and one reason only—to show us how to love, to teach us the truth, to show us the joy and peace found in a life centered on following Him, and to bring us home to heaven at the end of our days.

Jesus “taught with authority” like none before Him because He was and is our only authority. From that position of authority, after He told us to love God with all our heart, He told us to love our neighbor as ourself. (Mark 12:30-31) With these words, Jesus reminds us that we are our brother’s and sister’s keeper. We aren’t just here to live for ourselves. In fact, God calls us to die to ourselves and to seek the common good.

Let us strive to live in the light, the love, and the truth of the One who teaches us with the authority given Him by God, His Father and ours.

Jesus, I trust in you.



©Mary V. Pribbenow