Today’s passage: Matthew 21:23–27, Mark 11:27–33, and Luke 20:1–8
Focus verse: “By what authority are you doing these things?” [the religious leaders] asked. “And who gave you this authority?” (Matthew 21:23)
Let’s recap what Jesus has done in the past few hours.
First, he rides into Jerusalem like a victorious king, with the people shouting their praises to him. This continues despite the protests of the religious leaders.
Next, he drives the merchants out of the temple courts, making quite a scene, which disturbs the religious activities there.
After that, he heals people, including the lame and the blind.
And he teaches.
He does these last three things at the temple.
All this upsets the religious leaders. Growing tired of Jesus and his disruption to their sacred practices and established way of life, they challenge him.
“By whose authority do you do these things?” they ask.
From a human perspective, they view themselves as the only ones who can grant such authority. Since they know they haven’t done this, they reason that his only response is to admit he acts on his own accord.
Then they can tell him to stop.
Jesus sees their duplicity and counters it. He says he’ll answer their question once they answer his. “Did God give John authority to preach and baptize, or did he act on his own?”
The religious leaders realize that if they say God, they condemn themselves for rejecting John as God’s messenger. Yet if they say John acted alone, the people will rise against them because they view John as God’s prophet.
With neither answer acceptable, they say, “We don’t know.”
Based on their non-answer, Jesus declines to respond to their question.
Having already implied he is greater than John (Matthew 11:10–11), Jesus could have asked them the same question about himself: “Does God give me authority to preach and baptize, or am I acting on my own?”
If they answer “God,” they even more so condemn themselves. Yet if they claim Jesus acts on his own, the people are even more likely to rise to his defense.
Yet there’s more to this question of Jesus’s authority, which Matthew has already covered.
First, the crowds realize he teaches with authority, much unlike the other religious teachers (Matthew 7:28–29). These are the very ones criticizing him.
Next, Jesus proves he has authority to forgive sins by healing a paralyzed man (Matthew 9:6–8).
Then he delegates his authority to his disciples before sending them to cast out evil spirits and heal people (Matthew 10:1). And he’ll do this a second time right before he returns to heaven (Matthew 28:18–20).
Jesus has God’s authority and uses that authority, but the religious leaders are so focused on themselves, and what they wrongly assume about God, that they miss it—and oppose God in the process (see Acts 5:38–39).
Questions:
When have we opposed God by our actions, words, or practices?
When God tells us to do something, do we obey or seek human permission (authority)?
Prayer: Father God, may we act under your authority and not seek human permission to do your will.
Discover more about celebrating Jesus and his passion to save us in Peter’s new book, The Passion of Jesus. It is part of the Holiday Celebration Bible Study Series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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