The Authority of Jesus Challenged

 June 17, 2020

 

Mark 11: 27-33

 

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

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.”  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.”

Have you ever wondered where authority came from; Romans  13:1, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities?  For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”  We have the earthly authorities coming to Jesus, they are not happy with the actions He took cleaning the temple of money changers and they want answers to whose authority He did this under.  Now they were part of the ruling body of the Sanhedrin and we know they were getting the authority to rule from the Romans who ruled over them.  Unlike Jesus who was the only Son of the Father, they were not looking to God, they were trying to please Rome to keep the people in line.  They were hired hands of the Romans, they did not do what God said but what Rome said, they were not under the authority of God but Rome.  

Be very careful not to sit under a pastor that is a man-pleaser and not a God pleaser, Jesus talks about such men in John’s gospel chapter 10:12, “He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.”  If you are in that church, leave for that pastor is also referred to as a hireling.  He has no authority or power from God’s Holy Spirit, and will always say whatever is pleasing to the ears of those who have employed Him.

They ask a question and Jesus says, I will tell you but first answer me,  ^“Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.”  Now they were fearful but not of God but of man, so they would not answer, and this was Jesus' reply;  “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Is there a time when God has given us the authority to tell the government we will not do as you require?  The answer is yes, read the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3, or what about Peter and John before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4?

You will recall they healed a man in the name of Jesus and were arrested, put in jail, and the next day we're told to no longer speak or preach about Jesus, this was their reply.  “Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.   But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!   As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Will I have the faith to go to my death as happening in Daniel's account or in the case of Peter and John to be beaten and find the joy that you were worthy to be punished for speaking of Jesus?  We are not at that point yet, I do believe it is not far off, so what is our problem, is our faith that small?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice