August 13, 2023

The Origin Of Authority

“And Jesus cried out and said, ‘He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me. I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” John 12:44-47 (NASB)

            Have you ever heard the pastor raise his voice in a sermon? I wonder if the same principle sometimes applies to today’s congregation as it did in the Old and New Testaments.

            “And Jesus cried out and said,” When Jesus uses the word, “Cried out,” it is rendered as the word, krazō; to scream, or cry out.[1] To define the word clearly Grundmann says, “It is best rendered as crying in the sense of proclamation.”[2] Jesus raised His voice so all could hear His voice. Prophets of old used this same style of proclamation to unhearing and stubborn Jews. When something wasn’t heard the first time, it would be natural for the person speaking to clarify it by repeating it in a louder, more clear tone. It meant “listen or pay attention!”

            Jesus wanted all to know He was sent by the Father, “He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me. I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness…” Lange presents some interesting concepts: “In the first place, the setting forth of the person of Christ was free from ambition; it was a setting forth of the glory of God. He sought singly and alone the glory of God. Belief in Him should be a belief in the living God to the same extent as if it were no belief in Christ, i.e. as if belief in His human, individual appearance were fully merged in the divine glory of revelation of which He was the Mediator. And thus, in correspondence with the above, His appearance should be to those who saw Him the image of the appearance of the Father who sent Him. So, moreover, the sending of Him was free from selfish aims; being designed purely for the salvation of those to whom He was sent. Being, as Light that came into the world, in principle purely a shining of God, so He was, in respect of His aim, absolutely the deliverance of believers from darkness. Further, therefore, the operation of Christ was likewise purely and exclusively of a redeeming species without admixture of a condemning agency. He came solely and alone (in His one appearance as the Saviour of the world) to save. And this is then, finally, purely and absolutely a judgment of God, devoid of any humanly turbid, individual admixture. He stands, with every word, between the God who has commissioned Him and the eternal life of the soul, says nothing in false selfism, but gives utterance to all things as the Father has told them to Him. i.e. even in expression, His word is thoroughly in accordance with God.”[3] He was God who was literally speaking to the people, and they needed to listen.

            Sometimes we need to pay attention. It’s a shame when God Himself raises His voice to get people to hear. We are stubborn people though, who should listen as much as we speak…

[1] Thomas, R. L. (1998). In New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek dictionaries : updated edition. Foundation Publications, Inc.

[2] Grundmann, W. (1964–). κράζω, ἀνακράζω, κραυγή, κραυγάζω. In G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.), Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 3, p. 901). Eerdmans.

[3] Lange, J. P., & Schaff, P. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: John (p. 398). Logos Bible Software.