When we submit to Jesus’ authority through his word, he does to our “inner person,” what his earthly ministry did to sickness, storms, and demonic possessions.
The Sermon on the Mount ends with the crowds “amazed at his teaching” because he had authority. This authority was not just that he spoke louder voice, but that he spoke as the King into the hearts and lives of all people.
Then, in the next chapters, he proves this authority:
· He heals a leper who says to him, “if you are willing…”
· He heals the centurion’s servant with a word, marveling at how the centurion recognizes his authority
· He rebukes the wind and waves, leaving the disciples astounded, “who is this man that even the wind and waves obey him?”
What is the common denominator to his authority? In every case, Jesus offers a glimpse of the New Creation. The healed sick are roadway signs of what is coming down the road in the future when there will "be no more sickness". The calmed sea gives a foretaste of a sea of glass before the throne. And what is happening in nature – the turning a chaotic storm to glassy serenity—and sickness—the turning writhing pain to humble rejoicing—is also happening whenever disciples submit to the authority of his word in the Sermon on the Mount and obey it.
When we obey we are not just following rules and regulations of Jesus. We are becoming a new creation.
And if you have ever seen Christians model the life described in the Sermon on the Mount, you get a glimpse of the wonder that this new creation holds.
by David Niblack
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