I was reading in Matthew 10 as part of my yearly plan to read through my Bible in 2024. The chapter begins this way:
“Summoning His 12 disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out and to heal every disease and sickness.” [HCSB]
There are two Greek words we often see translated as power or authority. They are:
Exousia (ex-oo-see’-ah) – it means authority jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength.
Dunamis (doo’-nam-is) – it means force, power, ability, strength.
In this passage, some translations say Jesus gave them authority, some say Jesus gave them power. The Greek word used is exousia.
I heard a minister once describe the difference between exousia and dunamis this way: A policeman meets a criminal on the street, both have a gun. Both have power, dunamis. But the policeman carries a badge and has the weight of the law behind him, that’s exousia, authority.
Jesus delegated His authority over evil spirits, disease, and sickness to His disciples as He sent them out. Mark tells us the outcome. “So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they were driving out many demons, anointing many sick people with olive oil, and healing them.” [Mark 6:12-13 HCSB]
We are often reminded that discipleship has a cost, but we should also note that discipleship has a delegated authority to function in the name of Jesus Christ. We are not perfect vessels and do not always operate in that authority. We don’t always hear distinctly what Jesus commands us to do. But we should be aware that when we hear Jesus tell us to pray a certain way or speak a certain word, His authority is with us to do so.
