“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'” — Matthew 22:37-39

Here’s what makes Jesus’ authority so different from every other authority we’ve experienced: it’s never abusive. It’s perfect power combined with perfect love. Many of us struggle with the concept of authority because we’ve been hurt by people who misused their power, such as bosses who exploited us, parents who controlled us, or leaders who manipulated us. But Jesus is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep. His authority doesn’t demand our obedience out of fear; it invites our surrender out of love.

This is why the Great Commandment and the Great Commission can never be separated. We can only carry out the mission of making disciples when we’re first grounded in loving God and loving our neighbor. And we can only truly love when we’ve first received His love for us. Jesus demonstrated His authority by serving, by healing, by forgiving, by dying. When we surrender to His authority, we’re not giving up our freedom, we’re stepping out of bondage into the freedom that only He can give. Coming under Jesus’ authority means leaving the bondage of religious law and entering the freedom of grace.

Reflect:

• How has past experience with abusive or misused authority affected your willingness to surrender to Jesus?
• In what ways are you experiencing the freedom that comes from living under Jesus’ loving authority?
• Thank Jesus for being the Good Shepherd whose authority is always exercised in perfect love. Ask Him to heal any wounds from past authority figures that make it hard to trust Him fully.