Who Has Authority?

Context:

• Jesus rearranged the temple - got rid of some things.
• Jesus rearranged the fig tree - no more leaves without fruit.
• Does it seem like Jesus is always interfering with the status quo

Matthew 21:23-25a “...And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?”...”

Mark 11:27-30 “...And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me...”

What was bothering the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders?

• Jesus was disrupting the status quo.
• Jesus was making significant changes to reality.
• Jesus didn’t ask their permission before doing what He did.

What bothers people about Jesus and Biblical teaching?

• They disrupt the status quo.
• They make significant changes to reality.
• They don’t ask our permission before doing what they do.

How did Jesus answer the question about who authorized His behavior?

• He didn’t, though He said He would.
• He countered with a question of His own.

Matthew 21:25b-27 “...And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

Mark 11:31-33 “...And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘From man’?” - they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things...”

What was Jesus doing by asking the counter question?

• He wasn’t dodging their question.
• He wasn’t afraid of giving a direct answer.
• He was basically asking them to answer their own question. His authority and John’s authority came from the same place.

Why would they say ‘We do not know’?

• The chief priests were the politicians of their day.
• They were trying to manage both Jews and Romans
• They weren’t concerned about truth. They were concerned about appearance.
• Their difficulty with standing in truth prevented them from moving into the truth of Jesus.

Describe a time that Jesus didn’t directly answer a question you presented to Him. How did you respond, and what was the outcome?

Describe a time that you preferred to ‘save face’ rather than face a challenging truth question.

Matthew 10:32-33 “...So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven...”

Jesus Curses:

Context:

• Jesus had expressed significant displeasure at how the temple was being used.
• He then proceeded to heal the blind and the lame in the temple.
• The children cried out, in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David”.
• The next morning, when he returned to the city, he was hungry.

Matthew 21:19 “...And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once...”

Mark 11:13-14 “...And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it...”

Was this an angry reaction because of fleshly hunger?

• The promising but unproductive fig tree symbolized Israel’s spiritual barrenness.
• Despite divine favor and the impressive outward appearance of their religion, they were not producing the promised fruit.

What fruit should the church of today be producing?

• Galatians 5:22-23 “...But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law...”

What is produced when not led by the Holy Spirit?

• Galatians 5:19-21 “...Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God...”

Matthew 21:21-22 “...And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith...”

Mark 11:22-25 “...And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses...”

What was Jesus teaching the disciples by cursing the fig tree, then telling them to pray with faith?

• Was He telling them that they could control the universe?
• Was He encouraging them to bear the fruit of the kingdom?

Zechariah 4:6-7 “...Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’...”

How was Zerubbabel going to bring down a great mountain?

• Not by might, nor by power, but by the Lord’s Spirit.

Acts 3:6-8 “...But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God...”

Had Peter learned the lesson that Jesus was teaching?

• Peter was operating in the power of the Holy Spirit.
• Peter was operating in faith.
• Peter helped someone to walk, leap, and praise God - in the temple.
• Peter was bearing kingdom fruit.

Temple Cleaning:

Context:

• Jesus rode the colt to Jerusalem.
• He later entered the temple and overturned tables and seats.
• He had also done this at the beginning of His ministry (John 2:13-22).

Matthew 21:13 “...He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers...”

Mark 11:17 “...And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers...”

Luke 19:46 “...saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers...”

What is perversion?

• Inappropriately changing something from its good, intended purpose.
• An evil deviation from original intentions.

Why was Jesus unhappy with the temple activity?

• It was inconsistent with the intent of the temple.
• The temple was to be a place for interaction with God.
• The temple had become a place of corrupt commercialism.
• The temple had become a safe place for thieves.
• The intentions of God had been perverted.

• Isaiah 56:7 “...these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples...”

•  Jeremiah 7:11 “...Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the LORD...”

• Jeremiah 19:3-4 “...Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such disaster upon this place that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods...”

Can you think of any perversions in our world?

• Anything that deviates from God’s creative intentions.

Can you think of any perversions in our churches?

• A lot is done for reasons other than serving the one true God.

If Christ came into our gatherings today, would He overturn anything?

How can the process of religion pervert the purpose of religion?

• Focus on the practicalities can detract from the real purpose.
• We start paying more attention to the system than to our God.
• We become more involved with the scaffolding than our God.

How does God deal with perversion?

• His heart is to reconcile.
• He wants to restore things to their intended purpose.
• He wants to rescue from the domain of darkness and transfer to the kingdom of His Son.

• Matthew 24:1-2 “...Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down...”

How do people deal with perversion?

• They may participate in it.
• They may observe it, which is still a form of participation.
• They may try to avoid it.
• They may judge harshly those who are involved in it.

Do we want to rescue from the domain of darkness?

Matthew 21:15 “...But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant,...”

Mark 11:18 “...And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching...”

Luke 19:47 “...And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him,...”

How did the religious authorities respond to Jesus?

• They were indignant.
• They were seeking to destroy Him.

Why do religious authorities have a difficult time with Jesus?

• Jesus is the completely righteous one.
• Religious leaders are fallible, and even perverted at times.
• Religious leaders sometimes practice more pride than humility.

Why do we sometimes have a difficult time with Jesus?

The Triumphal Entry:

Context:

• Jesus and the disciples are nearing Jerusalem.
• When they get to the Mount of Olives, Jesus sends them for transportation.

Matthew 21:2-3 “...Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once...”

Mark 11:2-3 “...Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately...’”

Luke 19:30-31 “...Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it...’”

Was Jesus interested in a donkey or a colt?

• It would appear that He wanted the colt, on which no one had ever sat.

Why did Jesus need the colt (Matt 21:4)?

• To fulfill the prophesy of Zechariah 9:9 “...Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey...”

What type of entry was prophesied?

• A humble entry of a righteous King.
• Not as a proud conqueror on a horse, but one bringing peace.
• Meekness, not majesty.

Matthew 21:7-11 “...They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee...”

Mark 11:7-10 “...And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!...”

Luke 19:35-38 “...And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!...”

John 12:12-13 “...The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!...”

What were the people doing?

• Celebrating the coming King, the fulfillment of scripture.

John 12:19 “...So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him...”

What were the Pharisees doing?

• Worrying about the world following Him.

Who celebrates Jesus?

• Those who recognize Him as God’s gift to the world.
• Those who look forward to what His presence means.

Who doesn’t celebrate Jesus?

• Those who see Him as a threat to their position and purposes.
• Those who don’t look forward to what His presence means.

How does Jesus enter into hearts today?

• He still comes humbly, not forcing His way on the population.
• Some recognize Him, some are quite resistant.

How will Jesus enter this world the second time?

• Revelation 19:11-16 “...Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords...”