Holy Week
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
The Source of Jesus’ Authority…
27Again they entered Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking through the Temple area, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 28They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right to do them?”
29“I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied. 30“Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human? Answer me!”
31They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. 32But do we dare say it was merely human?” For they were afraid of what the people would do, because everyone believed that John was a prophet. 33So they finally replied, “We don’t know.”
And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.” Mark 11:27-33
Jesus’ actions in the Temple on Monday, hadn’t been forgotten by the religious leaders. In fact, as Jesus entered the Temple again on Tuesday, the came to Him with a vital question—what is the source of your authority? In life that question always has to be answered, and in life we must remember that ALL authority is delegated authority. That is all valid authority comes from God, whether we’re talking about spiritual authority or secular authority. What gives the police the authority to enforce the law? It was delegated to them by the government, and since the Apostle Paul tells us that ALL governmental authority comes from God (See Romans chapter 13), we understand that in the end their authority comes from God. The religious leaders of Israel believed that they were God’s authority, that Jesus had no right to turn over the tables in the Temple, or to “disrupt” the Passover celebration, or to do many of the things He had done in His ministry, such as healing the sick on the Sabbath, or eating food without being ceremonially clean. Jesus answered their question about authority with another question: Where did John’s authority to baptize originate? The leaders were stopped in their tracks. They knew that if they denied that it came from God the crowds would mob them, but if they admitted that it came from God, Jesus would ask why they ignored it. As usual, Jesus “won” the “contest,” because He IS the ultimate authority!
Questions and Comments for Reflection and Action:
What role does Jesus’ authority play in your daily life? Do you live with Him as YOUR ultimate authority? What would lead others to see that in your life? What areas do you have yet to put under Jesus’ authority?