Matthew 23:3 “All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.”
The Position of Authority
It’s interesting how your perspective on age changes as your age does. I’ve noticed recently that police officers are getting younger and younger! Has this phenomenon happened to you, too?
No matter your age, it is refreshing to remember that submission to authority is based primarily on one’s position. That brings freedom for those under authority and responsibility for those in authority. Position is important, and everyone has one.
In Matthew 23, the Lord Jesus told the crowd, including his disciples, “All therefore whatsoever they [the scribes and Pharisees] bid you observe, that observe and do. . . .” That is remarkable! These were men who were pious hypocrites who tried to trip up Christ, yet He commanded, “All . . . they bid you observe, that observe and do.” The Lord condemned their actions (“do not ye after their works”) but recognized their authority because of their position with the Law of Moses (“the scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat”).
Your relationship to authority is based upon God’s established order, not on the authority’s temperament or ability. There is great freedom in trusting God’s plan and “observing” and “doing.” When you are the authority, you do well to make sure what you do matches what you say. You are accountable to God Almighty for what you say and do (or don’t do). Would the Lord’s response to those under you be the same as it was to those under the scribes and Pharisees? “. . . that observe and do; but do ye not after their works: for they say, and do not.”
A police officer’s authority does not rest in his age; it rests in his position. A father’s authority does not rest in his intelligence or his stature; it rests in his position. A husband’s authority in the home does not rest in his salary or his personality; it rests in his position. All authority is given by God (Romans 13), and when you submit to the authority over you, there is great freedom and power from the Lord.