Then He Taught, Saying ...

Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.
And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
[Mark 1:21-22 NKJV]

Jesus having ‘taught’ is mentioned in the gospels on 12 occasions — in the King James Version. It is “a perfect number, signifying perfection of government, or of governmental perfection”*, therefore, should we conclude from this that when Jesus teaches, He speaks ‘as one having authority’? Should we care?

Numerology in Scripture can be controversial — indeed it is easy for us to misinterpret its usage in the Bible, particularly so when looking at modern translations, which appear to pay little or no heed to the methods of understanding in those times. The argument goes that such things add nothing to Jesus’ teaching and that His words alone speak The Truth and need no interpretation.

We are to see that all of The Bible is ‘God-breathed’; meaning that the Spirit of God guided each writer or prophet to set down a clear line of authorship from above, ‘as one having authority.’ For us, it is The Holy Spirit leading ‘to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ’** that gives the authority of His authorship.

So, does the use of ‘taught’ indicate Jesus’ authority? Possibly not, but the mention of twelve disciples and that whenever that number changed — as after Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus — the twelve were quickly re-established.

And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
[Acts 1:26 NKJV]

Authority was restored ‘in Jesus’ name.’

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* 12 is a perfect number, signifying perfection of government, or of governmental perfection. It is found as a multiple in all that has to do with rule. The sun which "rules" the day, and the moon and stars which "govern" the night, do so by their passage through the twelve signs of the Zodiac which completes the great circle of the heavens of 360 (12 x 30) degrees or divisions, and thus govern the year.

NUMBER IN SCRIPTURE by E W Bullinger

** Colossians 2:2 NKJV

We have judged our fellow men as sinners. If God should judge us like that we would be in hell. God judges us through the marvellous Atonement of Jesus Christ.

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