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...”