Did you see the headline in this morning’s paper? Did you see the news that screamed across the Internet today? Well, I didn’t. I am writing this several months ahead of when you will read it, but I have a guess about the headlines you will see today. There will be one or two articles that will raise the questions “Who do those people think they are?” “Who gave him the power to do things like that?” “Who put her in charge?” It’s not unusual to raise question about the authority others have for doing what they do. That’s what happening in today’s study text. The leadership saw Jesus come into the temple (v. 23). They watched him teaching and asked a very forthright question: “Who gave you this authority?” (Matthew 21:23)
Evidently, Matthew enjoyed exploring issues of authority. Take a look at these verses in the Gospel according to Matthew: 7:29, 9:6, 9:34, 12:24, 12:27, 28:18. In each of these situations, there is some inquiry or statement about Jesus’ authority. Jesus was clear about His authority. He said, “I’ve received all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:19).
So, when he answers this inquiry about his authority by asking a question, it is not because Jesus was unsure; it was His way of handling a devious crowd. As Matthew points out, the temple chief priests and elders got so entangled in their disagreement about the authority of John the Baptizer that they had to admit they could not agree.: “We don’t know” (Matthew 21:27). That opened the door for Jesus to set aside the issue.
Yet, the question does not go away. The Twenty-first Century asks: Is Jesus just a wise teacher from another generation? Is Jesus an out-of-date religious guru? Is Jesus just one of many who thought about serious things? Perhaps the bottom line is: Do you believe what John 1:14 says? “The Word became flesh...” Is this Jesus what God wants to say and do among us?
Perhaps this question from the leaders of the temple---“Who gave you this authority?---is one of life’s most important questions. You live your life according to what you think the answer is to that question. What say you?
What Someone Else Has Said: In The Mind of Jesus (Harper and Row), William Barclay wrote: “So then Jesus came with the claim for absolute obedience, with the claim for complete loyalty, with the claim to have the right to disturb life, with the claim to be the agent of judgment, with the claim to be nothing less than the touchstone of God. If anyone makes a claim like that, he is either a deluded megalomaniac or the Son of God; he is either mad or divine. Which was Jesus?”
Prayer: As you prepare this lesson, let your prayer begin: “Lord Jesus, Son of God...”
