Christ's Authority

In reading the New Testament like a book without chapters,
 I have discovered a central theme.

Authority.

 Jesus did what He did because He had been given authority to do it.

Yes, it was compassion that moved Him to help people
but it was the authority given to Him by God His Father
 that gave Him the right to heal,
 the right to deliver,
 the right to forgive sins before He died for them.

Continuing in Matthew 8, we see that Jesus had authority over the storms in nature;
 and then He delivered two men from the devils that bound them and sent the demons into pigs who committed suicide by jumping off a cliff into the lake and drowning.

(Being a mother of a son who raises pigs,
 I confess I have questioned the economics of Jesus' willingness
to agree with the demons desire to be sent into the pigs.
 But perhaps money was Most Important to these townspeople,
 for they begged Him to leave their area lest He cost them more in their ways of livelihood.

  Oh, if only they could have seen the Great Deliverer in their midst.

 If only they would have brought their sick babies
 and tormented teenagers and broken marriages to Him.

 But alas, they only saw what He cost them
 and they missed their opportunity to receive a healthy baby back into their arms.
 They missed the thrill of throwing out crutches.
They missed the hum of a happy home.
  They missed Him!)

So, knowing that He was not wanted there,
 He got in the boat and crossed over the lake to come back home.

He wasn't there long until some men brought him a paralytic lying on a bed.

He saw their faith and said to the man, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven."

Some of the lawyers standing there thought to themselves, "Good grief. That's blasphemous talk!"

Jesus was a mind reader.
Still is for that matter.

He said to the lawyers, 'Why do you harbour evil thoughts? (If you're going to have an evil thought-don't harbour it!) Is it easier to say, "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Stand up and walk?"  But to convince you that I have the right and authority on earth to forgive sins'-He now addressed the paralytic-"Stand up, take up your bed, and go home."'

And he got up and went home. The people were filled with awe at the sight,
 and praised God for granting such authority to men.

(Taken mostly from the New English Translation)

Christ's Authority.
Authority to forgive sins.
Authority to heal sicknesses.
It's as easy for Him to do one as the other.
He has the right to do it.
And we have the right to come to Him for any spirit, soul, or body need,
because He's granted us the free will to do so.

If we understood Christ's authority
we would understand our authority
because He gave us His authority
to do the works of God.