Authority, Urgency and Life

Following Jesus is a matter of life and death; of authority and urgency. 

Jesus said, "It’s urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put me in charge, has at this very moment the real, sting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living. It’s urgent that you get this right: The time has arrived—I mean right now!—when dead men and women will hear the voice of the Son of God and, hearing, will come alive. Just as the Father has life in himself, he has conferred on the Son life in himself.” (John 5:24–26 MESSAGE)

Jesus spoke those words in response to a challenge by the religious leaders of his day. The leaders were angry, both because Jesus and his disciples were not observing the sabbath as was generally accepted they should, and because in responding the leaders sabbath challenge, Jesus told them he had authority to speak as God. They were angry enough to kill, and Jesus knew that, He also knew where his authority came from and the choice that was available to all who heard him speak; an urgent choice, a life or death choice. Just before he talked about the urgency of choosing life, he told them how things were: “in the same way that the Father raises the dead and creates life, so does the Son. The Son gives life to anyone he chooses.” (John 5:21 MESSAGE) 

Jesus gives life to anybody he chooses. Do you believe he has life that is available to you? Have you grabbed it? If not, what has stopped you? At the heart of these questions are issues of authority and urgency; Jesus has the authority, the urgency rests with us. Jesus came and lived among us, lived a perfect life, suffered, died and was resurrected so that we could be grafted back into the story of God. His intent was and is for us to live in that story with our actual lives, listening and moving out in faith in all areas of our life. He talks about this in Matthew's gospel, how he listens to God and how he moves in the ways he is directed; how we are called to follow this modle and how he will be with us in every step we take. He said, “The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.”(Matthew 11:27 MESSAGE)

As we move away from Easter we do so with the reality of the resurrection. The resurrection is not just an Easter thing, it fuels and informes all that we do. The resurrection tells us about the power of Jesus and the authority of his words. If he had stayed dead, the things that he told us would be inspiring, but would be only that. The power of his resurrection amplify his words spoken to us: 

"It's Urgent!" "Come Alive!" "Follow me, and I will go over this new life line by line." Real life, life to the full, abundant life, "and I mean right now!" because he is was dead, and he is now alive and alone has authority to lead us away from the things and the ways of thinking that keep us dead.

In what ways is Jesus calling you to life? Where do you need him to exercise his authority?  Take him up on his promise, ask him to do so.