Teaching with Authority

Matthew 7:24-29 (ESV)
"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. [25] And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. [26] And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. [27] And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."
[28] And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, [29] for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

As one who had authority and not as scribes. Jesus has authority. He doesn’t merely teach as one who has it, but he teaches this way, because he does have it. He teaches. Present tense. He still teaches today. He has authority. Nowhere is this manifest more than in the forgiveness of sins. It is when he forgives sins that the Pharisees question his authority, without fail. Anyone can sit around and talk about the law. We all do. We sit and try to find loophole in it. Or we seek to control others with it. We appeal to it’s authority. This is the way of scribes. We all stand condemned by the law, and so no one really has any authority where it is concerned.
Jesus has authority even concerning the law. He is innocent, and so the law has no authority over him. Instead he has authority over the law. But this authority is not shown where Jesus expounds on the law and condemns sinners, but only where he forgives is it truly manifest. Forgiving takes authority.
So often you hear this expression in relation to those who thunder law from the pulpit. It is hog wash. And only when the pastor forgives sins is his authority to do so called into question. Amazing isn’t it? Yet as I said, Jesus teaches with this authority even today. It is this authority that he gave to his disciples, and his disciples be they pastors or laymen teach with this authority when they forgive the sins of others even as they are forgiven. That is the meaning of Matther 28:18-19, and John 20:20.