A Question of Authority
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Mark 11:27-33
Mark 11:27-33
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.”
This passage is all about authority.
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 76.12 ἐξουσία, ας
ἐξουσίαf, ας f: the power to do something, with or without an added implication of authority—‘power.’
And it shows us something of the nature of unbelief. That unbelief isn’t merely a matter of ignorance, ie lacking certain knowledge, but it has to do with spiritual blindness. We we also see a connection between the ministries of John the Baptist and Christ that maybe we hadn’t noticed before. And see the importance of honesty before God.
I. Authority questioned (vs 27-28)
II. Jesus’s odd counter question (vs 29-30)
III. A dishonest answer (vs 31-33)
This is now the Tuesday of passion week. Jesus is teaching in the temple.
I. Authority questioned (vs 27-28)
The chief priests, the scribes and the elders = The Sanhedrin
The Sanhedrin, a buffer organization between Rome and the Jewish nation, was composed of seventy-one members who held near complete freedom in religious matters and restricted power in political matters
These men, we know, were the accredited teachers and rulers of the Jewish church. They were regarded by the Jews as the fountain and spring-head of religious knowledge. They were, most of them, regularly ordained to the position they held, and could trace their orders by regular descent from Aaron - JC Ryle
These were the powers that be. No higher authority in the Jewish faith. A power clash!
By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority… This is a thinly veiled accusation. Basically saying - ‘we don’t think you have the authority to be doing what you’re doing.’ Who do you think you are?
What did they want? Either to humiliate Jesus or trap Him in His words. The arrogance and pride of unbelief.
The myth of neutrality. As we read in Ephesians 2:1-3
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
There is a spirit at work in the hearts of those who reject Christ. This spirit wants to humiliate, expose and trap the Christian in their own words. Atheist arguments from the likes of Dawkins, Gervais and Stephen Fry are heavy laden with pride, scorn and arrogance, take away all of that and there isn’t actually much of an argument there.
The pressure to cave when the powers that be in this world question the validity of your faith is real. We don’t like feeling foolish or irrational, or even brash or harmful.
New atheists said Christians were stupid, todays twitter mob says they’re dangerous! It’s tempting to either apologise for our faith in Christ or else go quiet about it.
We have swallowed the lie that simply because someone is highly intelligent that their opinion on Jesus Christ must also be intelligent. Unbelief isn’t a matter of education, it’s a matter of the heart.
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Sometimes the most scathing attacks on Christ and His people come from those who claim to be God’s ministers, just like the Sanhedrin.
These things are written to shew Christians, that they must beware of depending too much on ordained men. They must not look up to ministers as Popes, or regard them as infallible. Their acts and teaching must always be tested by the word of God. There is only one Priest and Bishop of souls, who makes no mistakes. That one is the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him alone is no weakness, no failure, no shadow of infirmity. - JC RYLE
II. Jesus’s odd response
Jesus doesn’t stutter, He doesn’t apologise, He doesn’t run off, He answers.
15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
He answers with a question. This might seem evasive or disingenous, but answering with a question was something Rabbi’s often did at the time. And the answer to the question would be revealed by their counter question.
Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me… What does this question have to do with anything? Was it just a distraction technique? Back to the Future style!
No - the correct answer to Jesus’s question actually reveals the answer to the question that the Sanhedrin asked.
What was John the Baptists ministry all about? What did John say his job was?
22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
So John’s ministry and Jesus’s are connected - John came to prepare the way for Jesus, John was sent to baptise with water and to baptise Christ ultimately. And it was at the moment of Christ’s baptism by John that the Spirit of God descended upon Him like a dove and a voice came from heaven saying This is My beloved Son in Whom I Am well-pleased.
A decision about John is a decision about Jesus. - James Edwards
This baptism answered the question of where His authority came from and the Sanhedrin knew it.
III. A dishonest answer
The text says the Sanhedrin discussed this question together.
The Greek word for “discussed,” dialogizesthai, appears seven times in Mark, always in contexts of people trying to evade the force of Jesus’ word or claim on them
‘if we say from heaven He will say then why didn’t you believe him, but if we say from men we risk stirring up the crowd against us because they all believe John was a prophet.
The Sanhedrin knew what they believed - they thought of John as a nobody, certainly not a prophet of God, but they chose to lie about it, to pretend they didn’t know. They lied and claimed agnosticism to please the crowd and to protect their reputation.
Unbelief isn’t just ignorance, it’s blindness, and wilful blindness according to scripture.
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Denial’s of Christ’s claims - ‘I’m too intelligent for all this.’ ‘There’s not enough evidence (but i believe in horoscopes)’ ‘Christianity is bigotted and evil, I believe in tolerance, morality is subjective! Respect all views!’ All denial’s of Christ are on some level dishonest.
Jesus is Lord - He has all authority.
Mark 1:27
καὶ ἐθαμβήθησαν ἅπαντες ὥστε συζητεῖν πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς λέγοντας· τί ἐστιν τοῦτο; διδαχὴ καινὴ κατʼ ἐξουσίαν· καὶ τοῖς πνεύμασιν τοῖς ἀκαθάρτοις ἐπιτάσσει, καὶ ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ.
Mark 2:10
ἵνα δὲ εἰδῆτε ὅτι ἐξουσίαν ἔχει ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς — λέγει τῷ παραλυτικῷ·
Mark 3:15
καὶ ἔχειν ἐξουσίαν ἐκβάλλειν τὰ δαιμόνια ·
Mark 6:7
Καὶ προσκαλεῖται τοὺς δώδεκα καὶ ἤρξατο αὐτοὺς ἀποστέλλειν δύο δύο καὶ ἐδίδου αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τῶν πνευμάτων τῶν ἀκαθάρτων,
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
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