By Stuart Powell
In 1982, Mother Teresa was invited to speak at Harvard University’s commencement. On June 10 of that year, the diminutive Nobel laureate stood before an unusually large crowd of college students, parents, and alumni.
At one of the most liberal colleges in the nation, she called the decision of a mother to murder her unborn child “the sign of great poverty.” She encouraged the crowd to value a chaste life, calling it “the greatest gift you can give to each other.” She concluded her message by challenging graduates to pray these words to God: “Make us worthy, Lord, to serve our fellowmen throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger.”
Her message demanded much more of the graduates than they had ever considered giving.
How did the crowd respond to this amazing display of authority by the nun from Calcutta? The school publication of the time summarized her speech:
Mother Teresa spoke with an almost mesmerizing conviction. What she said struck many listeners as anomalous in Harvard Yard on Class Day, but she received a long, standing ovation from the unusually large crowd come to hear a saintly woman.
Mother Teresa was shown unbridled respect because the life she lived lent amazing authority to her words.
Compare the Harvard crowd’s reaction to Mother Teresa’s speech to the reaction Jesus received upon completing his Sermon on the Mount:
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law” (Matthew 7:28-29).
After reading Jesus’ sermon, we might be astonished that such a demanding message was received so enthusiastically. But Jesus’ life aligned with the words he spoke. It demonstrated his amazing authority to most of the crowd.
Jesus’ authority continues to amaze. We are amazed not only at the deep message of the Sermon on the Mount, but also at the powerful imagery behind the emblems he picked during his last meal with his disciples. The bread is a reminder of his body, sacrificed for all. The cup recalls his shed blood that cleanses all of us.
“Do this in remembrance of me,” Jesus said (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24). Obey. Eat, drink, and remember his amazing eternal authority.
Stuart Powell lives outside of Terre Haute, Indiana, where he serves with the North Side Christian Church.
Author: Christian Standard
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