Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority [exousia] in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” [Matt 28:18]
There are a few Greek words for power in the New Testament. The two primary ones are “dunamis” and “exousia.”
“Dunamis” is the word from which we get our word dynamite! There is a great struggle for power in our world. Even if we don’t look outside our own nation, we can find that struggle daily in the Halls of Congress, White House and Supreme Court, as well as in our state and local governments. Political parties want the power to rule. And people within those political parties struggle for the power to rule and set the direction of the parties themselves. We can read about this “dunamis-struggle” every day in the media.
“Exousia” goes beyond power and means the authority to use that power. Jesus said that all “exousia” had been given to him, “exousia” for both heaven and earth. Who gave it to Him?
God the Father did. He did it when he raised Jesus “from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” [Eph 1:20-22]
Jesus has all authority now and one day that authority will be manifest for all to see. The petty power struggles of this world are temporary and will one day disappear when Christ our King, the King of kings and LORD of lords returns and claims the cosmos and all in it for God’s glory. I. can’t. wait.
