The Struggle for Authority in Times of Crisis

The COVID-19 crisis has quickly created a season of extreme stress and fatigue on everyone, literally around the world.  Humanity is not a fan of uncertainty.  We’ve become creatures of comfort and convenience.  And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  The human race has shown time and time again throughout history how unique and brilliant we can be as the prized creation through the many advances in technology, the arts, medicine and so on.  Unfortunately, the more we have shown off, the less tolerant we’ve become when things become uncomfortable, let alone when a crisis is thrown upon us that literally no one knows anything about.  This particular crisis has exhausted everyone both mentally and emotionally.

Every day we find out more about how this virus is impacting our world and the steps being taken to deal with it.  Some of it is hopeful while most of it, at least at this point, is depressing and the continuance of uncertainty.  We are bombarded with conflicting information from the media and the different levels of government.  For all intents and purposes, we’ve become a culture of independence and self-sufficiency.  As a result, we not only pride ourselves on being able to decide for ourselves what is best, we struggle with adhering to direction given by the authorities placed in our lives.  In the current crisis, it is evident by the varying responses of different parts of our population that this struggle is very much a reality.  Who do we believe, the media?  The government?  Do we place trust in our faith . . . in God?  The truth is, in times of crisis, we can see what authority we actually respect and submit to.  Many of us might be surprised to find out the only authority we submit to is ourselves.

So . . . why is authority even in the conversation during a time of crisis?  One definition of authority describes it as an accepted source of information and advice.  Interesting choice of words if you asked me.  Our recent history has shown that the media is a questionable authority with the vast branding of fake news filling the airways and internet.  And needless to say, the reputation of politicians that hold elected positions in our government and have betrayed our confidence over and over again throughout our nation’s history certainly taint our ability to trust them.  That leaves our faith in God, right?  A no brainer.  Except . . . if we are honest with ourselves, our faith in God is probably not what we try to convince ourselves it is.

OK, let’s say for the sake of argument that your faith is where it ought to be.  Then we should be able to accept what the Bible says to us about authority.  If that is true, then let us look at what Jesus had to say on the subject in Luke chapter 20.

1 One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. 2 “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?” 3 He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: 4 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin?” 5 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”  7 So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.”  8 Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

In these few verses it is clear that even in the time Jesus walked the earth the topic of authority was a contentious one at that.  What I find interesting is how the supposed religious authorities of the day felt the need to question the actions of Jesus.  He was only doing what they were supposed to be doing.  And yet it seems as if Jesus was the one with true authority since those whom he was teaching were listening to him, not the others.  Obviously, contrary to what was expected, the people accepted Jesus as the source of truth.  The irony here is that Jesus gave these chief priests and teachers of the law the opportunity to line up with the truth.  Yet their pride led them to choose a different path.  At that point, Jesus felt no compulsion to entertain their challenge any longer.  He knew the authority he had, and certainly didn’t need to prove it to naysayers.  If we skip down a few verses, we see another attempt to challenge Jesus’ authority.

20 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21 So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 23 He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?”  “Caesar’s,” they replied. 25 He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

I would certainly love to exposit this passage thoroughly as there are so many spiritual principles to digest.  For this conversation though, I need only point out that in a campaign to usurp the authority of God, these religious leaders only provided Jesus the opportunity to reveal even more so the true authority given to him.  In that last verse Jesus could have stopped at “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s.”  That would have been enough to shut the mouths of the opposition.  Instead, he sealed the deal with the declaration that true and ultimate authority belongs to God.

Again, I bring up the question: why is authority a part of the conversation amidst a crisis such as the one our world is dealing with?  Well, if you haven’t figured it out, it is now, during this crisis, we need to humble ourselves and embrace the authority of God in all things.  Let us have our faith be real faith in the One who created us and loves us.  This crisis didn’t catch Him off guard.  Disease and sickness are all symptoms of a post-Eden condition of the world.  Even so, God has a plan.  What may have gripped the world into a state of unprecedented uncertainty and fear is not anything He can’t handle.  God is bigger than COVID-19.  We do not need to walk in fear, but have faith, true faith in Him.

This is so important as how we respond as individuals to this crisis will affect and influence those around us.  If we respond in fear, then we spread fear.  If we respond with faith, however, then faith is what we give our family, our neighbor, our world.

Earlier I was listening to one of my favorite songs “Burn the Ship” by artists for King and Country.  The first line says, “How did we get here?”  Albeit, the meaning behind the song in its entirety focused on a different kind of crisis.  And yet, this question is certainly relevant to our current situation.  COVID-19 has abruptly and radically changed how we live.  Some of this experience may be temporary, but I suspect much of what our world has gotten used to will forever be different going forward.  But I am encouraged by the words of this song.

The second verse goes like this:

“Don’t let it arrest you

This fear this fear of fallin’ again

And if you need a refuge

I will be right here until the end”

Then about halfway into the bridge it says:

“Face the fear

Feel the weight disappear

We’re comin’ clear

We’re born again

Our hopeful lungs can breathe again

Oh, we can breathe again”

So, what can we do in this time of crisis?  First, understand Who is our authority.  Submit to that authority.  Then trust, believe, and have faith in that authority.  What will this accomplish?  Well, it’s another spiritual principle.  We then become equipped with an authority that is not our own.

We are given power to speak with authority, just as Jesus did and does.

We are given power to pray with authority, just as Jesus did and does.

We are given peace to live in freedom and not fear.

We are given peace to serve others with compassion and joy.

I suppose I now leave it to you to choose how it is you are going to respond to this ongoing crisis.  As for me, I choose to have faith in God and embrace the gifts of power and peace as we walk out this season of the journey together.

Ephesians 6:20 in the New King James Version says:

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Does it mean I ignore the media?  Not entirely as I should be informed and educated on what is happening.  Does it mean I ignore the recommendations of our government?  No.  I give to Caesar what is Caesar’s.  In our current context, that means unless the government demands I renounce my beliefs as a Christian, I honor the local authorities who were placed to govern us.  Make no mistake, this does not diminish my faith in God, as God is the one who appoints all authority.  What it does mean is that while I embrace the reality of a crisis in the world, I can speak life, pray for the world, live free of fear, and serve my neighbor.  And ultimately trust that God is with me through it all.