The Absolute Authority of Jesus Christ
Truth Taught- Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth
Last time we saw Jesus cursing the fig tree. It contained no fruit and had only leaves. We also saw from the OT that the fruitless fig tree represented Judaism, It’s leaders and It’s Temple. The entire system had become very evil and corrupt and was not living out it’s intended purpose. The Temple was to be a house of prayer for the nations and the Jewish leadership had made it, according to Jesus, a den of thieves. So, just as the fig tree withered all the way down to the roots, so too has Judaism withered to its very roots. Then Jesus made His declaration…
Mark 11:14 (ESV)
14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
Our passage today, was prompted by the act of Jesus cleansing the Temple the day before. That was Tuesday of Passion week and this passage takes place on Wednesday. Jesus’ authority is questioned by the leaders of that withered and dying system, the Chief Priests, Scribes, and the Elders, those making up the Sanhedrin. Jesus turns the tables on them and exposes their corrupt hearts.
This is the last section of Chapter 11 but it begins a series of seven confrontations that our Lord has with the Sanhedrin. If it be God’s will, we will look at these in the next few weeks.
Today’s passage is all about authority; where it comes from? Who has it? The difference between real authority given by God and a false authority given by man.
The Greek word is exousia. It really means “freedom to act,” “liberty to act.” To have authority is essentially to have the right to act, to exercise your will, to exercise force, to determine, to decide.
Please Stand…
Gracious and Glorious Father, this is Your word, show us today that You have all authority and as Your people, we must submit to You and Your Word. I ask that You would show us the absolute authority of Jesus our Savior. Place within us a great desire to hear Him and listen to Him and obey Him, for Your glory…Amen.
Mark 11:27–33 (ESV)
27 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, 28 and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” 31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. 33 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.”
1. Jesus Teaching in HIS Temple (11:27)
27 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,
During the time of Jesus, Rabbis walked and their disciples or students literally follow them. The Rabbis taught as they walked through the towns. This is the wonderful picture of what the Temple could have been and what it should have been. So, then Mark writes, as he was walking in the temple.
On that day, this was Jesus’ Temple. On that one day the Gospel rang out from the porches, and colonnades and courtyards. The Truth rang out reverberating through the halls. That one day the people heard from God. They heard that God loved them. They heard that they are sinners and must repent. They heard that there is salvation only in Jesus Christ. As our Lord walked people followed and in His zeal for His Father’s glory there was peace. People heard the truth.
The money changers and all the corrupt merchants had been removed the day before now Jesus was teaching and preaching in His Temple.
Luke 20:1–2 (ESV)
20 One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up 2 and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.”
It didn’t take long for Satan’s minions to confront our Lord…
the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him,
What a sad picture. The leadership of apostate Judaism cannot stand it that the true Gospel is being preached in the Temple.
These are the evilest people the world has ever seen. When people mascaraed as God’s leaders and teachers only in reality, they were evil to the core. There were people entering the Temple looking for truth and wanting to find the true God only to find a façade with nothing on the inside, smoke and mirrors and everyone goes to hell.
Matthew 23:27–28 (ESV)
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
There was Tuesday He cleared the Temple of commerce and Wednesday the people heard Jesus teach.
Luke 19:47–48 (ESV)
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, 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.
I love this text. Our Lord was such a good teacher and preacher that the Jewish leadership could not kill Him then and there…
for all the people were hanging on his words.
These people were so hungry for the truth of God that our Lord’s teaching had them glued to His every Word. To them it was like the entire world around them was gone and there was nothing but them and Jesus. Everything fell out of view except Jesus and they listened to every Word.
This is the first time and the last time the Gospel could be heard in the Temple. For hundreds of years nothing and now for the briefest of moments Jesus would teach them the Truth.
I wonder if this is a picture of what heaven will be like. Jesus will be teaching for a thousand years and it will seem like a few minutes. We too will hang on every Word. We too will be glued to everything He says.
2. By What Authority are You Doing These Things? (11:28)
28 and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?”
This was not a genuine question they were seeking an answer to. They came to attack Jesus.
Luke’s account uses the word epistian which often means to do harm or attack. That was their goal. Imagine how far away they were from God. They had the teaching of the Gospel in the Temple by God’s Son and they attack rather than encourage. These people were enemies of God.
They did not want the Gospel taught in the Temple. Jesus was eroding their system of making money hand over fist and their greatest desire was to remove Him and put Him to death.
So, they ask what they thought would be the question that would seal the deal.
By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?
There was a complete difference between the Sanhedrin and Jesus. It centers around the idea of authority.
When they taught and the things they did, they were always under someone else’s authority. When the Jewish leadership taught their authority came from quoting others and referencing others who taught the same thing. Their authority was always derived from man.
This is not the case with Jesus.
Matthew 7:28–29 (ESV)
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
As the Son of God our Lord had His own divine authority. Jesus is God and does not need to reference someone else He alone has the authority to teach God’s message and to act in the way God approves.
They wanted to know who gave You permission to clear the Temple as You did and to teach what You’re teaching. Jesus was so amazingly brilliant here. He knows that they are not interested in the answer but rather to find something to arrest Him for and His time is getting close but its not quite time yet. If He answers straight out, they will kill Him for blasphemy. So, He answers their question with another question.
The reality was that they already knew the answer but did not care. Their hearts were so hardened they didn’t want to know the truth.
They know what the answer to the question is, they know what He would give as an answer. When they said, “Where is Your authority?” they know what He would say: “My authority comes from God.” They know that. They know He has claimed that. He has claimed to be God in their presence, the gospel of John says it. He made Himself equal with God, and they knew it. They want that answer. They want Him to say, “My authority comes from God,” and then they can say, “He is, for sure, a blasphemer.”—MacArthur
3. Jesus’ Question for Them (11:29-33)
29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” 31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. 33 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.”
Jesus’ counter question centers around John’s baptism. At first it may seem somewhat out of context or may seem that it doesn’t make complete sense. What does John’s baptism have to do with their question of authority? Let’s see if we can get to the bottom of it…
What happened at John’s baptism?
Mark 1:9–11 (ESV)
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
When John the Baptist baptized Jesus, God the Father declared Him to be His Son and the Holy Spirit marked Him. There is no confusion here and in this baptismal scene, it is shown by what authority Jesus does what He does and teaches what He teaches. He is God and does not need any other authority what so ever.
Jesus has just placed the Sanhedrin in a very bad place.
If they answer John’s ministry came from God then they are forced to affirm the baptism of Jesus and God the Father’s declaration of Jesus’ divine Sonship. If they say from heaven then all Jesus claims is also true.
Our Lord is stunningly brilliant. They’re really on the hot seat. If they said, “The ministry of John is from God,” then they have to admit that Jesus is the Messiah, because that’s what John said. If they say, “The ministry of God is not from God, it’s from men,” then they’ve got a problem, because all the people knew that John was a real prophet. You see, it’s a package deal. You can’t take John without Jesus, and you can’t throw away Jesus without throwing away John.
These guys have placed themselves in a difficult dilemma. They knew it too. As Jesus was walking through the Temple great crowds follow Him and so this was not a private meeting, there were many people who already didn’t like these guys much. The people knew that John the Baptist was a real prophet. They knew Jesus was the Son of God and Messiah.
Luke 7:28–30 (ESV)
28 I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29 (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, 30 but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)
These people also knew who the real blasphemers were. This is why the Sanhedrin feared the people. If they would have answered that John’s baptism came from man, they would have been dragged outside and stoned on the spot.
Luke 20:6 (ESV)
6 But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”
So, they either answer from heaven and then affirm all Jesus did and teaches. Second option say from man and then be drug outside and stoned…so they do what every good liar does…we don’t know.
Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
I am through talking to you, we’re done no more.
Conclusion
Our conclusion today is really simply a point of application. How would you answer Jesus? Where does His authority come from? I pray your answer is from heaven. His authority is from God because He is God. What Jesus tells us is true. Also, we understand that every Word contained in our Bibles is also true. Our Bibles come from God and God’s Word has great authority.
I pray we get our answers from the Scriptures. I pray we discern life events by going to God’s Word for answers. I pray you study the Word because it’s only there that we can discover truly who Jesus is and understand what He does and what He teaches.
By what authority are you doing these things?
I AM all authority.
Resources Used:
Bibledictionarytoday.com
Mark by William Lane
Mark by James Edwards
Words of grace
Leave a Reply