Supernatural (Open Discussion 2)

Believing in Jesus’ Authority

Read Supernatural, chapters 11–12. Read and prepare to discuss ; ; ; .

The Big Picture

By noticing that the gods of the first commandment are leading characters in the story of the Bible, we soon realize that the plotline of this story may be difficult to follow. This is because a society of spirits operates primarily outside of our senses. We should also catch ourselves wondering how this grand story will end, even questioning if a happy conclusion is possible. Placing evil gods in control of the world does not bode well for the humans who live under their watch! We may wonder, “Will God ever take back the authority he gave away to the gods he created? If so, how would he do it? Will the gods give back their authority peaceably? What will God do to these gods? And what will happen to us humans?” We certainly have a vested interest in considering how our own story ends.

In our reading from Supernatural, we recounted how two of the most important texts of the Bible combined to answer the question of how God would go about reclaiming his authority over the earth. The first text, the vision of , offers the provocative picture of a human figure approaching God’s throne on a cloud in full view of his heavenly court. Then something very unexpected takes place: “To Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him” ( nkjv). This vision predicted that a man would someday be given control of God’s creation, with the court of gods left looking on. As the vision concludes, this man further bestows this kingdom to “people, the saints of the Most High” ().

The second text, another courtroom scene, takes place in as Jesus was facing the Jewish high priest Caiaphas. Jesus had been silent before his accuser until being asked to respond to a direct question: “Are you the messiah, the Son of God?” The title messiah refers primarily to a conquerer or a king, someone who claimed victory for others in times of crisis. Jesus’ answer was equally direct: “You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of authority, coming on the clouds of heaven” (). It was as though he opened a Bible, took hold of Caiaphas’ finger, and placed it on . So now we have an idea, even if only initially, how God will reclaim his authority away from the gods of the Old Testament. He will do it through Jesus Christ.

The Main Idea

Caiaphas was so angered by Jesus’ claim to authority that he sentenced him to crucifixion. Jesus therefore died because he was simply following through on a promise made to him (and the Israelite nation) in . The problem was clear, however: Authority would not be handed over without a fight. The Gospel writers were familiar with Old Testament teaching about the power and authority of pagan deities. This is why the public ministry of Jesus began with a confrontation with Satan and continued with exorcising demons and evil spirits from their human hosts. If your cosmic geography alarm is ringing at this point, you are catching why the Gospels sound as they do. Jesus came to “bear witness of the truth” of his authority (), especially among those living in the “Galilee of the Gentiles” (). Most Jews lived in southern Israel, near Jerusalem. But not Jesus. He grew up in Nazareth, a Roman military outpost, and chose Galileans—not those young rabbinical interns living near the temple—for his disciples. His travels seem to take him on repeat visits to places like Sidon and Tyre and Samaria and Caesarea Philippi, all places where foreign gods were openly worshiped and where pagan influence was abundant. None of this was accidental. He wanted to make his case for authority in front of those who needed to hear it most. The Messiah, the rightful King, would have it no other way.

Digging Deeper

A common understanding of the Old Testament in Jesus’ day included the view that God would destroy the Gentiles when he came to save Israel. This was because Gentiles were presumed to worship other gods, making them the sworn enemy of official Judaism. But Gentiles were not the only enemies of God’s people; this list also included the diseased (their sickness was thought to be the result of unrepentant sin), the tax collectors (an occupation which required rejection of Jewish heritage), and the prostitutes (a clear renunciation of Jewish morals). Jesus was often seen with these kinds of people, however. The reason for his compassion may have come from his reading of the important text we noted before, : “[The human followers of the gods] do not know, nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are unstable” (nkjv). This may be our strongest clue in understanding what Jesus meant by coming to seek and save the lost () and not the righteous (; ; ). He came to help those under the influence of evil spirit authority by introducing them to his own authority. Many Gentiles changed their loyalties to Jesus during his ministry.

We may now understand why there were no recorded demonic exorcisms in the Old Testament. If our understanding of cosmic geography is accurate, it stands to reason that evil spirits would have felt comfortable in the surroundings of Canaan, among the “lost” that Jesus came to save. This was their home territory, allotted to them by the God of Israel. So while we may hear of the periodic story where a god is silenced or shamed (; ), we would not expect demon exorcisms as part of the Old Testament story. Exorcisms surface in the Gospels because the truly authoritative human being from has arrived. Demons consistently describe Jesus with uncanny accuracy: “What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” ( nkjv). It is as though they were aware of , waiting only for the prophecy to come true.

On this account, let’s draw our attention to an early creed of the Christian faith found in . Paul introduced these six phrases as the “mystery of our religion,” or what early Christians believed: “Jesus was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory” (nkjv). It is that odd phrase “seen by angels” which has confused commentators for centuries. We may wonder why this would be important to the gospel message. But recall what we noted all the way back in the first chapter: There are no such “things” as angels; this is a functional term for a god. So let’s read it again, the way Paul meant to be understood (and with the help of my paraphrase): “Jesus came in the flesh, and was vindicated by the Holy Spirit at his baptism; he confronted the gods of the Old Testament, and in so doing showed his authority to Gentile worshipers; many Gentiles became loyal to him, and he became Lord of all through his death and resurrection.” This is the condensed mystery of our story, revealed through Jesus Christ.

Knowledge in Action

Have you ever wondered what would have led you to believe in Jesus if he had come through your town? For me, exorcisms would have been the most powerful influence of all. Picture the scene: I and my fellow villagers go about our days being told that the God of Israel is real but believing that pagan gods are even more real since we can see what they do. No human can control them, as hard as they may try. At times these gods literally take over human bodies, even causing them to injure themselves. Yet every Sabbath I hear that my God is the creator and controller of all there is. On my walk home I realize how strong my faith needs to be while I am honestly battling the temptation to give my loyalties to the powers that are all around me.

Then I hear of Jesus—and let’s place ourselves into an actual story recorded in : He steps into my synagogue (4:16), preaches a sermon from Isaiah about ministering to the needs of Gentiles (4:18–27), and survives a following assassination attempt (4:28–30). I wonder if this will deter him or cause him to reconsider his message. In following him to another synagogue, however, I hear him speak about his authority even more boldly (4:31–32). At this point, a man who is controlled by a demon (we all presumed him to be a regular worshiper!) steps forward (4:33). I hear the demon tell the crowd that he knows who Jesus is, though he is unsure what this means for his own future (4:34). Jesus quiets the god and tells him to leave the man alone (4:35). The god obeys, and everyone in the room is amazed (4:36–37). No one has ever seen a human tell a god what to do.

However, I would have soon realized that following Jesus took repeated steps of faith and loyalty. He did not always do what I would have expected him to do, especially if I had wanted him to be a strong Jewish leader who would rid the nation of Gentile influence. He instead befriended the very Gentiles I did not like and scolded the Jewish leaders I respected. At one point he told his followers that he had a “new commandment … to love one another” (), as though he could speak directly for the God of Israel. The hardest step of faith, of course, was following Jesus to the point of his own death, knowing that his exorcisms had already proved his authority over every human or divine power. I needed to believe that he died on purpose, and for a purpose.

Discussion Questions

• Do you think Jesus’ exorcisms would have had a powerful affect upon you? How would you have interpreted them?

• At this point in our study, are you able to define the gospel in terms of authority, and how Jesus had come to fulfill the vision of ?

• Are you able to feel the kind of hatred and disgust that Jews had for Gentiles in the days of Jesus? Why is this an important emotion to identify with in understanding the story of the Bible?

• Looking ahead in the story, why do you think God chose to ultimately defeat evil spirits and Satan by having Jesus die?

[1]

[1] Johnson, R. (2015). Supernatural (A Study Guide). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.