Day 21

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” — Matthew 28:18-20

If anyone needed power to accomplish the Great Commission He had given to them, it was the disciples of Jesus. On the night of His arrest, they had all been exposed as weak and cowardly. After His resurrection, Jesus said to them, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” He also told them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18).

What kind of power was Jesus talking about? In the New Testament, there are several words that may translate into our English word ‘power’. One is the Greek word, ‘dunamis’, similar to the English word, ‘dynamic’ or ‘dynamism’. It is power in the sense of sheer energy. This is the ‘power’ the disciples would receive when the Holy Spirit came on them. When Jesus said ‘All authority (‘power’, KJV) in heaven and on earth has been given to me’, the Greek word used is ‘exousia’, which is power in the sense of authority. It is vitally important we understand the relationship of these two.

Authority without dynamism is pathetic. The moment a policeman puts on his uniform and reports for work he has authority. He can stand on the street, hold up his hand and the traffic comes to a standstill. If I did that, I would get run over. But, though entrusted with such authority, he may go home and be henpecked by his wife, with no personal dynamism or power.

On the other hand, dynamism without authority is dangerous. Terrorists, by definition, have no constitutional authority to do what they do, but they have stacks of dynamism and can close a city down and put a nation on high alert.

‘All exousia – authority - in heaven and earth has been given to me’, said Jesus. I have the right to tell you what to do! But that would only frustrate us, unless we also know that ‘You shall receive dunamis – dynamic power – when the Holy Spirit comes on you’. Never detach the Lordship of Christ over us from the Spirit of Christ within us. It is by the Spirit we are empowered to fulfill that which His authority demands of us. For every situation we face, and with every task we are called to do, the Holy Spirit is sufficient for us.

Prayer: Dear Lord, What a privilege it is to be working with you. How grateful I am that it is with your authority over me, and your dynamic power within me, that I can serve you well. I submit to your lordship and pray for your filling.

To reflect upon: Are there times when I have not consulted Jesus but acted of my own accord and found my well-intentioned efforts were to no avail? What were the circumstances and what did I learn from that experience?