When thinking of Jesus Christ as the king above us, as presented in the book of Matthew, it’s not surprising to find the word “authority” mentioned in regard to His life and work. To do a topical study of “authority,” first collect the references to it and then correlate them into an outline. Once you’ve done this crystallize what you’ve found into some applications. I call this the “3C” Bible study method: collect, correlate and crystalize.  

When Jesus finished His sermon on the mount it says in Matthew 7:28‑29, “the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”  His sermon was pointed, dealing with character, consistency, compassion and commitment.  Jesus minced no words.  He probed beyond mere outward appearance to deal with what was going on in the innermost thoughts and attitudes of the mind and heart.

In chapter 8 a Centurion asks Jesus for help. When Jesus was ready to go with him to heal his servant he declared that he understood authority.  One with authority only needs to speak the words and servants obey.  He asked Jesus to speak the word of healing and believed it would be done.  Jesus affirmed his faith.

In Matthew 9 Jesus again asserts His authority by forgiving a paralytic his sins and healing him, thus proving his authority.  Look for other indications of His authority as you read Matthew.