Properly Placing Our Power: A Deep Dive into Jesus' Claim to Have “All Authority” in Matthew 28:18

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth’” (Matthew 28:18). More than once, I’ve asked in a one-on-one Bible study or a Bible class, “How much is all?” The answer I’m typically looking for is, “All.” However, this is definitely one use of the word “all” when we need to do a little bit of thinking in order to fully appreciate Jesus’ claim and what it means for us.
 
For starters, what exactly is “authority”? The word Jesus uses here is exousia, a very rich word with the following potential definitions: 1) a state of control over something, as in freedom of choice, right; 2) the potential or resource to command, control, or govern, as in capability, might, power; 3) the right to control or command, as in authority, absolute power, warrant; 4) the power exercised by rulers or others in high position by virtue of their office, as in ruling power, official power; 5) the bearer of ruling authority, whether human (authorities, officials, government) or in the spiritual realm; 6) the sphere in which power is exercised, as in domain.^[1] We can rule out the sixth definition, given “domain” is effectively what is indicated by the later words, “in heaven and on earth.” We would do well though to keep in mind the remaining definitions as we examine Jesus’ claim alongside of what the Bible says elsewhere about exousia.

Exousia is found over one hundred times in the New Testament. Not surprisingly, a number of these references are about Jesus. Even before His post-resurrection claim to have “all authority,” “He taught… as one having authority [exousia]” (Matthew 7:29; cf. Mark 1:22) and demonstrated over and over again that He had exousia over the spiritual realm (Mark 1:27; Luke 4:36) as well as over sin and forgiveness (Matthew 9:6; Mark 2:10; Luke 5:24). His authority was noted by those whom He encountered (Matthew 8:8-9; 9:8; Luke 4:32; 7:6-8) and was only ever questioned by those who coveted it (Matthew 21:23-27; Mark 11:28-33; Luke 20:1-8).

Jesus Himself though said some things about exousia that should be kept in mind as we interpret His claim in Matthew 28:18. First, He made it very clear that exousia was something He had been given by God the Father (John 5:27; 10:18). This is in complete harmony with what Paul would later teach. Paul says that exousia was something “put… under His [i.e., Jesus] feet” (Ephesians 1:21-22) and adds elsewhere that the idea that someone would put something beneath someone else’s feet naturally exempts him from being put there (1 Corinthians 15:27). In fact, Jesus may have claimed exousia over heaven and earth but added that the “times” and “seasons” remained in the Father’s “authority” (Acts 1:7) as well as “power [exousia] to cast into hell” (Luke 12:5). Paul indicates that the aim of Jesus is to return His authority to the Father “that God may be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:24, 28).  

Second, Jesus made it very clear that exousia was something He intended to share. Several references are made to the exousia Jesus gave to His disciples as He sent them out to cast out demons and perform other confirming miracles even as they preached the coming of the kingdom (Matthew 10:1; Mark 3:15; 6:7; Luke 9:1; 10:19). They were given this power to confirm the revelation of “so great a salvation” (Hebrews 2:3-4; cf. Acts 8:19) and an even greater sharing of exousia, where Jesus shared and continues to share “the right [exousia] to become children of God” (John 1:12), the “right” to partake of a special altar of forgiveness (Hebrews 13:10), and the opportunity to escape death’s “power” (Revelation 20:6). This opportunity and the corollary blessing of “eternal life” was the very reason the Father gave Jesus exousia (John 17:2).

Jesus ultimately granted exousia to the apostles “for edification” (2 Corinthians 10:8; 13:10), that we might be both shown through their example and taught through their words “[Jesus’] commandments,” do them, and have the “right [exousia] to the tree of life” (Revelation 22:14). Some exousia has also been granted to angels (e.g. Revelation 18:1), who identify as fellow servants with the apostles (Revelation 19:10; 22:9). Like the apostles, these faithful angels use the authority granted to them to work under the authority of Jesus for the benefit of “those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14).

Third, both Jesus and the chroniclers of His life indicate the presence of exousia that gives no allegiance either to the Father or to Jesus. Reference is made to “Herod’s jurisdiction [exousia]” (Luke 23:7; a clear example of that sixth definition listed above) and the desire of Jesus’ opponents “to deliver Him to the power and the authority [exousia] of the governor” (Luke 20:20). When Pilate claimed to have exousia, Jesus did not deny it, but rather said, “You could have no power [exousia] at all against Me unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:10-11). Jesus spoke of how His disciples would be brought before “the synagogues and magistrates and authorities [exousia]” (Luke 12:11).

So, did these competing forces vanish when Jesus made His claim to have all exousia? Paul commands after Jesus’ claim, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities [exousia]” and speaks of “the authorities [exousia] that exist” (Romans 13:1; cf. Titus 3:1). He’s referring to earthly authorities, i.e., human governments and their duly appointed officers. These authorities don’t merely exist; just like Pilate’s authority (John 19:10-11), they exist by “the ordinance of God” and should be respected by Christians (Romans 13:2-4). Exousia is used to describe several earthly governing authorities in Scripture that exist even after Jesus’ claim (Acts 9:14; Acts 26:10, 12).

The New Testament speaks of many authorities that “were created through [Jesus],” (Colossians 1:16) and that exist alongside of His authority (Ephesians 3:10). While these authorities have indeed “been made subject to Him” (1 Peter 3:22; cf. Colossians 2:10, 15) and while He is the only one to whom true “power [exousia]” belongs (Jude 1:25), many of these authorities do not behave as though this is true. Paul speaks of “the power [exousia] of darkness” from which we as Christians have been “delivered” (Colossians 1:13) and yet against which “we wrestle” (Ephesians 6:12). Chief among these opposing forces is “the prince of the power [exousia] of the air,” Satan (Ephesians 2:2).

Satan has authority (Acts 26:18), and, according to the book of Revelation, even has some ability to grant authority (Romans 13:2, 4). The book of Revelation is full of references made to those who somehow were given exousia (Revelation 6:8; 9:3, 10, 19; 11:6; 13:5, 7, 12; 14:18; 17:12). It can be easy to conclude either in light of the symbolic descriptions of this power being exercised or the real world events that took place during the Roman empire that these passages indicate that all of this comes only from Satan. It’s important though to keep in mind a couple of passages from Revelation relative to exousia: 1) Jesus was then and forever remains the one able to grant “power [exousia] over the nations” (Revelation 2:26); 2) God retained ultimate “power [exousia] over these plagues” (Revelation 16:9); 3) This statement rings true in the midst of and in spite of everything else the book records: “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power [exousia] of His Christ have come” and Satan “has been cast down” (Revelation 12:10).

So how can Satan have exousia if Jesus has all of it “in Heaven and on earth” and if he “has been cast down”? While part of the answer seems to lie in the function that Satan seems to perform in testing men’s faith (cf. Job 1-2), another important part of the answer lies in a negative example in revelation where people gave “their power and authority [exousia] to the beast” (Revelation 17:13), which itself had derived power from “the dragon,” Satan (Revelation 13:2, 4). Satan often tries to convince people that he has all the power to give if people will give him their allegiance (he even tried to convince Jesus of this same thing – Luke 4:6). The fact remains though that Jesus does have all authority (Matthew 28:18) and that authorities only exist as He and His Father allow them to exist (John 19:11; Romans 13:1). Like human governments, Jesus allows Satan’s authority to exist beneath His own.

This brings us to what is absolutely the most important part of our study of exousia. Remember, exousia does have as one of its possible translations, “freedom of choice.” Students of the Bible recognize (or should) that humans have freedom of choice; the Bible’s use of exousia demonstrates how this is possible. Jesus, the one who has all exousia, allows Satan to continue to work in this world so that we can actually exercise our exousia – so that we can choose to serve Jesus or choose not to do so. Yes, as Paul points out, God does have exousia over us akin to the power a potter has over clay (Romans 9:21). Make no mistake though: the potter illustration is not intended to convince us that God has any desire to shape us in a negative way. “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone” (James 1:13)  God’s hands always and only shape for good! The potter illustration is intended rather to show that even when we refuse to be shaped into something good, we will still find ourselves as a part of God’s overall rule and His overall plan. While life lasts though, we can always be reshaped (Jeremiah 18:1-6).

Jesus told a parable that uses the term exousia in a way that helps us to understand how Jesus can have all of it while we evidently also have some of it to yield either to Him or to Satan. Jesus says that our present situation awaiting the coming of the Lord “is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority [exousia] to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch” (Mark 13:34). Jesus has granted us the opportunity to freely choose what we do in the hopes that we will be faithful so that He can reward us with much. This is demonstrated by another parable where Jesus speaks of exousia. There, the master in the parable says, “Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority [exousia] over ten cities” (Luke 19:17). How we use the freedom of choice granted to us determines whether we are likewise rewarded by our Master, Jesus.

There are many things life over which we have exousia. Peter for example reminded Ananias and Sapphira concerning their money, “While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control [exousia]?” (Acts 5:4). Several passages teach either by example or encouragement that while we have exousia we should not simply use it to do what we want: 1) Fathers had “power” over their “own will” in first century Corinth and how they would guide their daughters relative to marriage but were encouraged to keep in mind “the present distress” (1 Corinthians 7:26, 37-38); 2) Christians should not use their “liberty” to “become a stumbling block to those who are weak” (1 Corinthians 8:9); 3) Each Corinthian woman had “authority on her head,” but, like “the angels,” she should learn submission and headship and express that in culturally appropriate ways (1 Corinthians 11:10). 4) Paul had the “right” to receive the financial support of the church, but did not do so among the new converts in Corinth or in Thessalonica, fearing it would “hinder the gospel of Christ” (1 Corinthians 9:4-6, 12, 18; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-9).

Tragically and all too often, people choose to yield their authority to Satan, ignorantly or purposefully buying into his perpetual lie that it is really God who wants to take our authority, our power away. No, in reality, Jesus is the one who already has all authority, power, domain, or whatever else might be meant by exousia. Yet it is a sign of how glorious and worthy of worship He is that He willingly grants some of that exousia to us and even to Satan so that we can truly have the freedom to choose Him or not. To borrow from John, let’s not give our “power and strength to the beast” any longer (Revelation 17;13). Though it does not contain the word exousia, another passage from Revelation serves as an appropriate conclusion: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:12).

-Patrick Swayne  
patrick@tftw.org