“They were all struck with amazement and kept saying to one another, “What is this message? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” (Luke 4:36) “One hand washes the other” the proverb says, and that’s certainly true of the authority and power that in ministry work hand in hand. Jesus performed half of the healings and exorcisms recorded in the Gospels by speaking words of authority.
One miracle took place when a woman touched the hem of his garment and was healed. Of the other twenty-four healings and exorcisms, twelve took place through his touch and twelve through his words. Or, to put it another way, twelve of them took place through his power and twelve through his authority. Christians place great emphasis on power, and no wonder: the flow of the anointing through the hands of a believer into a sick person is an unforgettable experience.
I can remember the first time as if it happened yesterday. The Lord touched an extremely depressed woman through my hand, and compassion flowed out from deep within me through my hand and into the depth of her need. Power has to do with the Holy Spirit’s presence, which, to put it mildly, is enjoyable, and, to put it wildly, is totally awesome!
It was not Christ’s power but his authority that caused controversy. When confronted by his miracles the religious leaders of the day challenged not the reality of his power but the source of his authority. “And when he came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority do you do these things? And who gave you this authority?’” (Matthew 21:23)
Christ’s authority was greater in scope and in effect than anything the Jews had known. His power to heal was present when four men broke through a roof and lowered their paralysed friend to the floor at his feet. But what really amazed the crowd and antagonized the religious leaders was not the man’s miracle of healing, but the Lord’s statement that his sins were forgiven (Luke 5:20-26). “And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, ‘Who is this that speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?’
But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he said to them, ‘What do you reason in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you’; or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins, (he said to the paralyzed man,) ‘I say to you, Arise, and take up your bed, and go into your house.’ And immediately he rose up in front of them, and took it up, and departed into his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, ‘We have seen strange things today.’”
The New Testament Greek word for “strange things” is “paradoxos”, from which we get the English word “paradox.” A paradox is an apparent contradiction. The Jewish leaders who were present accepted the miracle of healing, but could not accept that Jesus had been given authority on earth to forgive sins. For them to acknowledge his authority would mean accepting that the man was forgiven, and to them that was not possible. On the other hand, for them to reject would be to say that the miracle wasn’t real, but it was undeniable.
Jesus created a paradox that could only be resolved by them accepting that the man’s miraculous healing was proof positive that Jesus had authority to forgive him. The miracle was a demonstration of his authority. In three out of the twelve times that Jesus used his authority to heal, he spoke from a distance, sending healing words to the Canaanite woman’s daughter, the nobleman’s son, and the centurion’s servant.
His words of authority came in the form of a command. The paralysed man was told to rise, take up his bed, and go home; the man with the withered right hand was told to stretch it forth; the ten lepers were told to report to the priests; and the man at the pool of Bethesda was told to rise, take up his bed and walk.
All were healed when they obeyed. (The Lord’s five other recorded commands were issued to demons.) Nowhere is it recorded that Jesus laid his hands on a person who needed to be set free from demons. On every occasion he simply ordered the evil spirits to leave and, of course, they did.
Authority and power go hand in hand. A police uniform and an upraised hand can bring the biggest, heaviest truck to a screeching standstill. (The police officer holds his fingers tightly together to indicate that his authority is absolute. If spread apart some of his authority would ‘slip through his fingers’.) Along with his authority is the power to arrest anyone who is foolish enough to resist it
“Summoning the Twelve, he gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.” (Luke 9:1) Jesus gave them not only the power to expel demons, but also the authority to act in his name. Their authority legitimised their power to act. “Look, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means harm you.” (Luke 10:19
We call the last words spoken by Jesus before he ascended into heaven: “The Great Commission.” But his command to “Go” was preceded by the words, “All authority is given to me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18) We have both the authority to go in his Name and the power to deal with any demons we meet along the way.
Think of yourself as having two invisible letters engraved on the palms of your hands. One hand has a capital “A” for Authority, and the other has a capital “P” for Power. When praying for the sick it might help if you lay both hands on them, and in so doing minister Authority and Power to deliver miracles. There will be times when you’ll have to decide which of the two is needed. Should it be a word of authority, a touch of power, or both? The reason why we are commanded to “lay hands on the sick” is that our hands are a point of contact for the sick person’s faith and the healing power of God (Mark 16:18)
There will also be times when you’ll be unable to lay hands on the sick because the sick person is not present. In that case, your spoken word of authority should bring the same result. A word of authority, or a touch of power – which? Well, both are effective. It’s vital that you know your authority in Jesus Christ. But it’s also vital that you know how to minister the power of God through a touch. Jesus said, “The one who believes on me shall do the same works I do, and greater…” (John 14:12)
The Lord has put a lot into your hands. You’ll find out how much when you speak with authority in the name of Jesus, and touch the sick with his healing power. These two things — authority and power — go hand in hand. But remember that the battle will be less about power and more about authority because authority legitimises power!