All Authority in Heaven and on Earth

I realized after my Through-The-Bible reading today that there has been a theme emerging in the last couple of readings from Matthew.  I would summarize Matthew 7:28-9:8 with these words: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."  This section of Matthew highlights the divine, omnipotent authority of Jesus.  The word "authority" actually appears 4 times in this relatively short passage.  For example:

7:28-29- "The crowds were astonished at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one who had authority."

8:1-3- Jesus has authority to simply 'will' a healing; "I will; be clean."

8:5-13- The Romans centurion understands the nature of Jesus' authority ("I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.  And I say to one, 'Go' and he goes...)  Jesus commended his faith, and healed the man's servant.

8:14-17- Jesus has authority over all ailments and diseases.

8:18-22- Jesus has authority to command his disciples to leave all to follow Him.

8:23-27- Jesus has authority over the natural world, including the winds and waves.

8:28-34- Jesus has authority over the spiritual realm and all the forces of Satan.

9:1-8- "The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sin."

In this section, we see a general progression from the more 'mundane' authority to more explicitly supernatural and surprising authority.  We first see Jesus teaching with authority, then we see Him in progressively more dramatic healings, then with control over nature, then with control over Satan, and finally with the absolute divine authority to blot out sin.  

I think that this passage is designed to make us more and more amazed at the power and authority of Jesus, so that we will say what the disciples said, yet with hearts full of faith, "What sort of man is this, that even the winds and waves obey Him?"