18 January 2022
Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
Teachings become persuasive in two ways: by developing understanding and by relying on authority. We become convinced that something is true either because we understand the matter for ourselves, or because we accept the judgment of a trustworthy authority. For example, you might reason your way to a medical diagnosis after carefully studying the symptoms and their etiology, or you might accept a diagnosis given by a doctor that you trust.
The teachings of Jesus work in both ways: understanding and authority. When a criticisms arose over his followers breaking the sabbath by picking heads of grain as they were walking, Jesus defended his disciples. “The sabbath was made for man,” he said, “not man for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27), which was his appeal to understanding. He immediately followed with a claim of authority: “the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath” (Mark 2:28).
To better grasp the most important truths, we need to develop our understanding of God’s revelation, and we need to develop our trust in divine authority. Jesus has an authority that we must learn to accept, and he has reasons that we must learn to understand.