"Then they came to Capernaum, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.......“What is this? A new teaching with authority. (Mark 1: 21 - 22, 27).
Yes indeed. Jesus taught with authority. He is still teaching today with authority through the Church. It is ridiculous for Jesus to found a Church without giving the Church real authority to teach. "Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” (Luke 10: 16).
The name of this authority is the Magisterium. It comes from the Latin word magister, which means "teacher." Actually, the divine teaching role of the Church stands on 3-legged stool:
#1 Sacred Scriptures
#2 Sacred Tradition
#3 Magisterium
Like the 3-legged stool, each of the legs need each other to support the superstructure. The teachings of the Magisterium cannot contradict Sacred Scriptures or Sacred Tradition and vice-versa.
In today's first Reading from Deuteronomy, we read:
"I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kindred, and will put my words into the mouth of the prophet; the prophet shall tell them all that I command. Anyone who will not listen to my words which the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will hold accountable for it. But if a prophet presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die." (Deuteronomy 18: 18 - 20).
You may call this the legal code that establishes Authority in the future, Qahal, Ecclessia or Church.
It can never be exaggerated that Authority is at the core of the life of the Church.
"What is this? A new teaching with authority?" (Mark 1: 27).
Actually not a new teaching. The same teaching from the Rabbi Moses. The word of God!
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23-Psalm1to2