The Son's Authority

Jesus is the ‘Son of Man’ foreseen by Daniel, the Messiah with absolute authority over the peoples and nations of the Earth.

After defeating Satan in the wilderness, Jesus began proclaiming “the Good News” of the Kingdom in Galilee – “The season is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe the gospel!” The term “Kingdom of God” is a summary statement that links Christ’s mission to the glorious “Son of Man” figure described in the Book of Daniel.

In the town of Capernaum, Jesus entered the synagogue and proclaimed the Kingdom. But something about how he taught astonished his audience: “He taught them as one who has authority, and not as the Scribes.”

[Photo by Wolfgang Lutz on Unsplash]

The Scribes typically cited historical and legal precedents to validate their propositions, the so-called ‘Tradition of the Elders’. The Scribes and Pharisees were not known for issuing clear or innovative declarations based on their own authority.

Jesus delivered a man from an “unclean spirit.” Amazed, the men in the synagogue asked questions concerning what they had seen. “What is this? He commands even the unclean spirits with authority, and they obey him.” They recognized his “authority” but did not understand its source - (Mark 1:21-27).

Some days later, a paralytic man was brought to Jesus by his friends, no doubt expecting him to heal the afflicted man. Rather than simply heal the man, however, Jesus declared his sins “discharged.” The Scribes were indignant. After all, who could forgive sins “but God alone.”

The declaration of Jesus was an act of presumption if not blasphemy, at least in the eyes of many in Capernaum. He had discharged the debt of sin on his own authority, and apart from the Temple rituals required by the Torah.

Jesus challenged his critics. “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, your sins are forgiven, or to say, Rise, take up your couch and walk?” Either statement was easy to say. Both were impossible to do without divine authority and power. However, Jesus did not ask which task was easier to do, but which one was easier “to say.”

It is easy to proclaim the forgiveness of sins since no one can verify your claim from observable evidence. To say the paralytic was healed was far more difficult since confirmation would be immediate and obvious.

If Jesus could demonstrate his authority to heal, it would demonstrate his authority to proclaim the forgiveness of sins, which is precisely what he did:

• “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on the earth, he said to the paralytic, Rise, take up your couch and go your way to your house. And he arose and, immediately, taking up the couch, he went forth before all.”

This is the first recorded instance in the Gospel of Mark of Jesus calling himself the ‘Son of Man’. He did not say that he, Jesus of Nazareth, had authority, but that “the Son of Man has authority,” in this case, the authority to forgive sins.

THE SON OF MAN

This is the self-designation found most often on the lips of Jesus in the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. As the ‘Son of Man’, he had the authority to discharge the debt of sins, cast out demons, and heal the sick.

The term ‘Son of Man’ is from Daniel’s vision in which he saw a royal figure approaching the divine throne to receive authority and sovereignty:

• “I saw in the night-visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and his kingdom that which will not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).

In Chapter 7 of the Book of Daniel, the English word “dominion” translates the Aramaic term ‘sholtan,’ meaning “dominion, sovereignty,” that is, the right and authority to rule.  Jesus was claiming not only the authority to reign over the Kingdom but also left no doubt about the source of that authority, the Ancient of Days, namely, God.

This was why Christ had “the authority to forgive sins.” Jesus, as the ‘Son of Man’, received sovereignty over an everlasting kingdom. His authority was from God, and according to the prophecy recorded in Daniel, there are no limits on the extent of his dominion or authority.

Certainly, the Torah provided the sacrificial rituals necessary to cleanse ritual defilement and atone for sins, and the Scribes were not completely wrong to ask, “Who can forgive sins except God?”

However, they had witnessed something unprecedented, and so, the crowd glorified God, “since He has given such authority to men!” By doing so, they acknowledged Christ’s authority and its source.

Jesus had the authority to declare anyone’s sins forgiven, whether the person had undergone the required Temple rituals or not. The ‘Son of Man’ possessed the authority to issue declarations about sin, ritual purity, dietary restrictions, and even the Sabbath Day (“For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” - Mark 2:23-28, 7:14-23).

By identifying himself as the ‘Son of Man’, Jesus identified the source and extent of his authority, and his claim was validated when he healed the paralytic and delivered other men and women that same day from demons.

However, being the ‘Son of Man’ was not all pomp and ceremony. Later, he would reveal the true significance of his calling when he combined the figure of the ‘Son of Man’ with the ‘Suffering Servant’ of the Book of Isaiah:

• “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes. And they will condemn him to death and deliver him unto the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit upon him and scourge him and kill him. And after three days, he will rise again” – (Mark 10:33-34).

The Messiah appointed to rule over God’s kingdom must first “give his life a ransom for many” before taking his seat on the Throne of David – (Mark 10:42-45, Isaiah 53:10-12).

[PDF Copy]

SEE ALSO:

• The Son of Man - (The figure of the Son of Man in the Book of Daniel is the source of Christ’s self-designation, the Son of Man)

• Coming on the Clouds - (The whole earth will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of Heaven, and he will send his angels to gather his elect –Mark 13:21-27)

• Authority over Sea and Storm - (Despite his miracle of calming a storm on the Sea of Galilee, Christ’s disciples still could not recognize who he was – Mark 4:35-41)

• Who is this Man? - (In Mark’s Gospel, no one recognizes who Jesus is except demons. Only in his death on a Roman cross was his identity understood by men)