Tuesday, April 03, 2012
On Tuesday, the
authority of Jesus is questioned as he taught in the Temple courts. These are
the very courts that he cleaned out the day before. This reading is from Matthew 21:23-27:
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was
teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what
authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this
authority?” 24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will
tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s
baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?” They
discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask,
‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From men’—we
are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27
So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am
doing these things.
The
religious elite were questioning where Jesus was getting the authority to teach
and do miracles. They may have also had in mind his act of cleansing the Temple
the day before. These people were forced to acknowledge that He had some source
of indisputable authority. His miracles
were too numerous and obvious to be fraudulent. His teaching was with power and
clarity. It’s amazing to think that even those who were opposed to Jesus had to
acknowledge his power and authority.
The
way Jesus handles this question by the Jewish leaders is brilliant. In essence,
Jesus caught the leaders in their own trap. They had hoped that Jesus would
answer their question by asserting that His authority came directly from
God. Jesus had done this many times before.
For example in John 5:19,“I tell you the
truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his
Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”
If Jesus answered their question like He had
done before, then they would accuse him of blasphemy and would use the charge
to have him killed. Jesus answers their question with a question that placed
them in an impossible dilemma. Where did John the Baptist get his authority?
John the Baptist was widely revered by the people. They could not affirm John’s
ministry without condemning themselves. And if they denied John’s ministry they
feared the response of the people. In effect, Jesus exposed their own lack of
authority to examine him. And after that he told them a parable in verses
28-33.
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went
to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 29
“‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30
“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I
will, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 “Which of the two did what his
father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “I tell you the
truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God
ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of
righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the
prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe
him.
The
point of this parable is very simple – doing is much more important than
saying. The Jewish leaders talked a good talk but they didn’t walk it. On
Sunday, Jesus came into Jerusalem and was hailed by the people – He is a King. On
Monday, Jesus came into the Temple and cleansed it – He is a Priest. On
Tuesday, Jesus teaches in the Temple – He is a Prophet. A Prophet, A Priest and
a King – that’s authority. The simple
question to reflect on today is this: Am I obeying Him?
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