Sermon Tone Analysis

Christian Herter was the governor of Massachusetts in the 1950s.

One day, after a busy morning chasing votes and going without lunch, he arrived at an evening barbecue.

Herter was famished.

As he moved down the serving line, he held out his plate to the woman serving the chicken.

She put a piece on his plate and turned to the next person in line:

“Excuse me,” Governor Herter said, “do you mind if I have another piece?”

“Sorry,” she told him.

“I’m only allowed to give one piece to each person.”

“But I’m starved,” the governor said.

“Sorry.

Only one per person.”

Governor Herter was usually an unassuming man, but this time he decided to throw a little weight around.

“Do you know who I am?” he said.

“I am the governor of this state.”

“Do you know who I am?” the woman replied.

“I’m the lady in charge of the chicken.

Move along, mister.”

Authority is a funny thing.

Christian Herter was a man of authority, but the chicken lady showed him just how far his authority reached.

No matter how much authority we think we possess, there is only so much we truly have authority over in this life.

You can only really go as far as your authority will let you.

This noun refers to the power or ability to do something, but can also describe the right to exercise authority or rule

Authority is an important thing.

It is what order is built upon.

It allows our world to function.

I remind you that God is the highest authority in All the land and to most (at least in thought and word) that is a non-negotiable.

God makes the rules.

If we look into the gospels we will see that Jesus was quite the disruptor!

He was a different religious leader.

He opperated differently than the other religious leaders.

He taught grace over works

He taught that it was the heart that mattered

He dealt with the worst of society

He even taught differently than the Pharisees and leaders

Matthew 7:29

Jesus made claims to them that seemed outrageous (scandalous even)

“Im the door”

“I was before Abraham”

“I and the Father are one”

“I am life”

His followers made claims about him that would seem outrageous to to someone passing by

“thou art the Christ”

“even the winds obey him

Leading up to this point Jesus has been leading a change in the nation of Israel

His system was different than the Jewish leaders of the day

We can actually see this progression

In his criticism of legalism and focus on external acts of piety

Matthew 23:4, 23

In his rejection of the way the Pharisees and Sadducees of the day saw and taught the law.

Matthew 5:21-22

In the way he reached out to all rungs of society

In Luke 15, Jesus tells three parables about a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son, which illustrate his compassion for and acceptance of those who were considered to be sinners by the religious leaders of his time.

In his condemning hypocrisy and corruption

Matthew 23:16-24

Teaching a message of love, forgiveness and grace

Jesus teaches his disciples to forgive others, even if they sin against them repeatedly.

He also teaches the parable of the Prodigal Son, which illustrates the love and forgiveness of God.

As we come to Luke 20 we are approaching the end of Jesus’ 3 years of “difference making”

He has entered Jerusalem and it was loud

“Hosanas” rang

Miracles happened

He cast judgement on a “fig tree”

their system

He has purged the temple of money changers and people selling animals in Luke 19

Luke 19:46-48

Mr.Levi says he was even flipping tables

Matthew 21:12

He begins to teach daily in the temple that he has just purged

Luke 19:47

The religious leaders could’t stand that so they raise a question to Jesus

Luke 20:1-2 “1 And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders, 2 And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things?

or who is he that gave thee this authority?”

“Where did you get the authority to do this?”

“Who made you the boss”

“What right do you have?”

Notice the depth and context of this question

Jesus has conducted his earthly ministry

Made his claims

PURGED THE TEMPLE

And is CURRENTLY preaching the gospel

The message we claim saves us

Changes people

Can save the world

Brings you peace

With God

in your self

What the church is founded upon

The basis of our hope in this life

All of the aforementioned is on the line if Jesus does not truly have the authority.

Christ’s authority is central

His divinity, claims, doctrines, promises all hinge on this very important topic of authority.

It is so easy to be hard on the leaders but we must too look at our selves

These men had an authority problem (maybe by ignorance or by insolence)

often times we may have authority problems ourself

disobedience

lack of faith and doubt

delay in obedience

I think if we had the view on authority that Jesus reveals in Luke 20 it’d change our everything

Jesus in the verses to follow is going to build a wonderful case for his authority.

He leaves them with only two real choices