Authorities in Conflict
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Read
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.”
And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this Scripture:
“ ‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.
A Murderous Question
A Murderous Question
Chief priests/scribes/elders: representatives of the three groups that make up the Sanhedrin, Israel’s official leadership
By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?
Has Jesus demonstrated any authority in Mark’s gospel so far?
Authority over every kind of illness
Over every kind of unclean spirit
Authority to forgive sin
Over every aspect of nature (storms)
Even over death
Where would anyone get that kind of authority? There can be only one possible source: from God
Chief priests/scribes/elders — These are the experts on the scriptures. Where could Jesus get that authority? Do they really not know?
So why are they asking?
Remember: they already want him dead. Why don’t they just have him arrested?
And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching.
Afraid of the crowds
Probably accuse blasphemy, turn crowds
As usual, their confrontation with Jesus doesn’t turn out they way they intend. But Jesus’ answer to their question is surprising:
A Refusal to Answer
A Refusal to Answer
Easiest question: from God
Everything you’ve heard about me is true. Everything I’ve claimed. I am the Son of God. I am the heir to David’s throne, the rightful king of Israel. I have been sent by the Father, with His authority. Instead:
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.”
“Baptism of John” = John’s whole ministry. Brilliant. Dilemma:
If from heaven, “why then did you not believe him?” His call to repentance, his claim that Jesus was the Messiah. Can’t answer from heaven
“But shall we say, ‘From man?’” — that’s a no-go too:
But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet.
So they have to give the most embarrassing possible answer for these supposed experts on all religious matters:
Mark 11:33 (ESV)
So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.”
And then most shocking part of this exchange:
English Standard Version Chapter 11
And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
But this is your chance! Expose their hypocrisy, tell the truth, preach the gospel
Why would he refuse to answer their question?
Because at some point, when you reject the light you’ve been given, God hands you over to the darkness. And the religious leaders have reached that point
Jesus has already said this about them:
And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”
Jesus won’t be casting pearls before these swine. They don’t need more information, clearer revelation
They have been exposed to the light and rejected it. All they have to look forward to is the darkness of judgment
And that’s exactly what Jesus teaches in the parable that follows
A Parable of Judgment
A Parable of Judgment
Let’s break down the pieces of this parable:
And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country.
Common arrangement: absentee landlord rents out his land to tenant farmers for a share of the crop when it’s harvested
Owner: God the Father
Vineyard: Israel—often depicted as a vineyard in OT, incl. in Isa 5, which Jesus quotes in this parable
Tenants: religious leaders; same group who asked the question
When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.
First servant comes for share, beat him
Second servant comes: dramatic escalation, kill him
Sends more; some beat, some they kill
Servants sent? prophets. This parable is recounting the history of Israel. God gave the law, gave the nation priests to teach it to them, teach them how to obey God and worship Him properly
When he comes to collect a harvest of righteousness from his vineyard, Israel, what does he find? Worthless grapes, and rebellious tenants who mistreat and murder his servants, the prophets
After all that happens, whom do you expect the vineyard owner to send?
Army. But he doesn’t. Whom does he send? His son. Totally surprising move:
He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.
Son: Jesus
What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.
Who was the owner? God. Vineyard? Israel. Tenants? Religious leaders
What will the owner do about the murder of His Son? Destroy the tenants. Happened in A.D. 70, when the temple was destroyed and the whole corrupt system ended
He will destroy the tenants—not burn down the vineyard
This isn’t a parable about the end of Israel, rejection of the chosen nation
It’s about the end of their corrupt religious establishment, after their murder of God’s beloved son
You could get the idea from this parable that the Son is a helpless victim. Lest you get that idea, look how our Lord closes this teaching, cites Psa 118:
Have you not read this Scripture:
“ ‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
Who is the stone? Jesus
And if that rejected stone becomes the cornerstone, guess what: He’s not going to stay dead; he’s going to be established. Points to his resurrection
Who are the builders that rejected the stone? Rel. leaders
Whose doing was it, that they rejected Him? “This was the Lord’s doing”
As we continue through the passion week, fix our minds on this: Jesus not helpless victim
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
Did builders really choose to reject? Yes. It was the religious leaders’ murderous hatred that was behind his execution
But their rejection was foreordained by the Father. And everything Jesus does to them acc. to that plan
this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
Behind that was Satan, who saw a chance to win a victory in his long war against God:
During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,
On the night of His betrayal, when the soldiers come to arrest Him, Jesus says:
When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”
Now, remember: it’s only Wednesday. The Father’s plan is for Christ to die on Friday. So even though Jesus has enraged the religious leaders by telling this parable about them, and they know it, they can do nothing:
And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.
This parable reveals the wickedness of the Jewish leaders, and the plan of God behind it
And can we not say, it is marvelous in our eyes?
Pray
Invitation
Something connected to sermon
Someone down front