Without a doubt, Jesus taught with great authority.

In what ways is that authority delegated to us today?

Roy Zuck answers:

1. Jesus’ words were from God the Father; he taught only what the Father instructed him to teach.

As we faithfully study and then teach the Scriptures, we are communicating those words of our Lord to others. We are part of a divine chain of communication from God the Father, to God the Son, to us (by revealed truths in the Bible), to our students. “We can use our minds to master our subject, and just as Jesus taught with absolute expertise, we can achieve a relative expertise based on study.” (Delnay)

2. Jesus possessed innate knowledge of what others were thinking.

We can study our students, seeking to know the characteristics of the age group we teach, and seeking to know them individually—their back-grounds, characteristics, interests, problems, strengths, weaknesses.

3. Jesus made unique claims about himself and his teaching, referring to his imperishable and efficacious words and asserting, “I tell you the truth,” “I say to you,” and “I am.”

We can point others to this One whose claims are demanding and ab-solute, and to the Scriptures where these claims are faithfully recorded.

4. Jesus voiced scores of commands to individuals and groups—imperatives to follow him, his example, and his teachings.

We can urge our students to know these commands revealed in Scripture and to respond to them in obedience to Christ. In these ways our teaching can take on a new flavor, a significant dy-namic. Though our authority is derived, not inherent, we can teach as he taught.

(Teaching as Jesus Taught, ch. 4)