Scripture: John 3:31-36 (NIV)

The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful.

For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

In the Old Republic, the Jedi were the face of the government.  As Mace Windu says in Attack of the Clones, they were keepers of the peace, not soldiers.  However, when they went to a location, people knew that beyond whatever powers they had, they also carried with them the weight of the galactic government.  They were sent in the name of the Supreme Chancellor and their word was his.

The Jedi were given this authority because they were trustworthy, they commanded respect, and they had The Force, which allowed them to negotiate from a position of strength with most any being in the galaxy.  Just because a Jedi showed up didn’t mean that the Republic would get its way, but the chances of a settlement between parties or something that was in line with the official policy went up dramatically.

Jesus not only had the authority of God while He was here on earth, He was God.  He could heal in God’s name because it was His name as well.  The workings of the Trinity are mysterious and we are never fully going to be able to understand the relationship between the parts or how Jesus could be fully divine and fully human, but He spoke to what He knew and what He had seen and that testimony was left for us so that we, centuries later, could understand the same things about God.

Of course, we as humans don’t always take to authority well.  Jesus was crucified for speaking the truth of God to a people that didn’t want to hear it.  Today, many people ignore His testimony in favor of doing what they want, living they way they want to live, and not fully understanding what Jesus has for them.

Unlike the Jedi (who, honestly, probably didn’t try to do that too often), we can’t use a mind trick and get people to completely buy into Christianity.  What we can do is live that life and share it with them.  After all, we are sent out with authority as well!