Recovering Moral Authority

To make their point more sharply, Mark and Luke note that this wasn’t the kind of teaching delivered by the scribes. And to make clear where that authority comes from, these two Gospel writers add that after Jesus finishes preaching, a man with unclean spirits cries out, “I know who you are, the Holy One of God” (Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34).

In these passages, the scribes represent a form of authority that is rooted in the interpretation of tradition. Jesus, by contrast, speaks as one whose authority is not borrowed but extends from God the Father. When they challenge him—“Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Luke 5:21)—they reveal their assumption that authority must always be mediated through established sources. They are more comfortable citing what they have learned from others rather than speaking as those accountable for God’s truth.

This drift has its 21st-century counterparts. We may display our range of cultural and intellectual awareness by citing the Greek etymology of New Testament verses, playing clips from the BibleProject, or repeating lyrics from our favorite bands—yet leave unclear what we believe or how we would lead when difficult situations arise. In doing so, we trade the weight of moral order for the lightness of cultural relevance, leaving people informed but not formed, engaged but not guided into the order that directs purpose-filled lives.

The Pharisees also were concerned with morality and authority, albeit anchored in institutional order rather than in the more profound moral order Jesus embodied. Their authority was tied to structures that had long guided Israel. So when Jesus, through his teaching and works of mercy, disrupted those structures, it created not only conflict, but also confusion about where his authority resided. 

In response, they questioned and tested him—demanding signs, suggesting his power came from the devil, and ultimately asking, “By what authority do you do these things?” and “Who gave you this authority?” (Matt. 21:23). These questions weren’t merely hostile, but the questions of leaders entrusted with maintaining an inherited structural order. Still, their orientation left little room to recognize an authority that stood outside and above their institution. What they struggled to see was that Jesus wasn’t rejecting moral order but revealing its true form in himself.