Matthew 8.  At the conclusion of his sermon on the mount, the crowds were astonished at the authority with which Jesus had taught (7:28-29).  Authority is the right to decide things.  It is the ability to make commands in a certain sphere – commands which will be obeyed.  Matthew illustrates the scope of Christ’s authority with a few stories from his early ministry.

1. Notice how “in control” Jesus was with the incident of the leper.  Jesus commands him to become clean, to say nothing about it until he gets his clearance from the priest, and to pay the price for the clearance. The only thing the leper had to do was obey (1-4).
2. The centurion asks Jesus to “say the word” and expects his servant’s paralysis to disappear.  This is the kind of faith the kind demands.  Even the “sons of the kingdom” who think that they were born into it will discover that.  When the great celebration begins, they will be thrown out with the trash. The king has the authority to decide who gets in and who does not (5-13).
3. Peter’s mother-in-law gets it.  Jesus takes away her illness, giving her life back, and she immediately picks up a servant’s towel.  She knows who the boss is (14-17).
4. When Jesus is the boss, there is no room for personal ambitions or distractions.  The would-be followers of Jesus who have other things in mind learn this (18-22).
5. The disciples in the boat learn that Jesus’ authority extends to nature itself.  It certainly applies to them.  He’s the boss (23-27).
6. The authority of Christ extends to the spirit realm as well.  The demons see him and know that their time is up.  They beg him to send them into the pigs (28-32).
7. The city folk have had enough.  They beg Jesus to leave the region.  His power and authority are too much for them (33-34).

LORD, you are the boss.  We await your commands. Our towels are ready.