The Authority of Jesus (Mark 11:27–33)

CPT: The denial of the authority of Jesus by the Jewish rulers resulted in their failure to submit to the authority of God.

Purpose: To encourage a shift in individual thinking to submitting to the authority of Jesus in our decisions and daily living.

CPS: Submit to the authority of Jesus.

The authority of Jesus is intrinsic to his nature as the Son of God.

The authority of Jesus is evident from the testimony of others.

The authority of Jesus is worthy of your whole-hearted submission.

Introduction

Attention

Authority is a reality that we deal with. We are born under authority and live under authority. We are born to parents and live under the authority of a family structure. We grow up as adults and live under the authority of a government structure. We all live ultimately under the authority of God. We look to Jesus, the Son of God, and live under his authority.

We live in a culture, in a society, that is increasingly distrustful of authority. A 2019 Pew Research Poll (1) found that a survey of US adults believe that most people in authority behave unethically some or most of the time. The most was members of congress, with 81% believing they act unethically some or most of the time. Religious leaders didn’t do much better, with 69% believing they act unethically some or most of the time.

In another 2019 Pew Research report on Trust and Distrust in America, the report states, “Majorities believe the public’s confidence in the U.S. government and in each other is shrinking, and most believe a shortage of trust in government and in other citizens makes it harder to solve some of the nation’s key problems.” (2) You need to have a level of trust in authority to deal with problems.

With trust in people in authority has been falling, including trust in people in religious positions, it’s also interesting to note the falling belief in God in our society. Our belief in God as a society is dropping. One article from 2022 states, “In the latest Gallup Poll, belief in God dipped to 81%, down 6 percentage points from 2017, and the lowest since Gallup first asked the question in 1944… About 29% of Americans are religious “nones” — people who describe themselves as atheists, agnostics or “nothing in particular” when asked about their religious identity… Only 68% of adults ages 18-29 said they believed in God (compared with 87% of Americans age 65 or older.)” (3)

Learning to trust authority is important. As a pastor, I say, “Read the Word of God. Trust it. Every word in here is true, and it will point you to Jesus. Trust Jesus, believe in him, and he will save you.” That takes a level of trust in authority, doesn’t it? That takes a level of trust in the Word of God, that it will lead you to Jesus, and that you can trust Jesus.

We need to submit ourselves to the authority of Jesus. Submission to authority takes humility and takes trust. Praise God that our Lord shows himself as trustworthy and true. The heart needs to learn to be humble and submit to him.

In our text today in Mark 11:27-33, we will see Jewish rulers who could not trust the inherit authority of Jesus.

Scripture Reading

Mark 11:27–33 CSB

27 They came again to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came 28 and asked him, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do these things?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; then answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was John’s baptism from heaven or of human origin? Answer me.” 31 They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ ”—they were afraid of the crowd, because everyone thought that John was truly a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Pray

The Context

In chapter 11, they are going back and forth from Bethany to Jerusalem. In the beginning of the chapter, he enters into Jerusalem on a donkey, and the people cry out in Mark 11:9 “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” In verse 11, they go out from Jerusalem to Bethany, which was a village outside of Jerusalem.

They go from Bethany toward Jerusalem, where they see a fig tree that Jesus uses as an object lesson for his disciples. They enter back into Jerusalem and go into the Temple.

The first experiences in Jerusalem are directly tied to this conversation, particularly Jesus cleansing the Temple in Mark 11:15-19. He goes into the Temple area, and “began to throw out those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple.”

Verses 17 and 18 are important for us to understand our verses today. It says in Mark 11:17-18:

Mark 11:17–18 CSB

17 He was teaching them: “Is it not written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves!” 18 The chief priests and the scribes heard it and started looking for a way to kill him. For they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was astonished by his teaching.

Jesus is not only turning over the tables - we like to focus on that. Notice also that Jesus is teaching in the Temple, and the chief priests and scribes are hearing all of this.

So in verse 27, Jesus is back in the Temple, and the Jewish leaders are not about to let happen again what happened before. They confront Jesus, and the first question out of their mouth is about authority.

What is Authority?

The term used for authority in the Bible means the “power or right to act or make decisions.” It comes from a root word that means, “to have” or “to possess.”

Biblical Authority

Scripture gives us a linear way to understand the progression of authority.

God: The Ultimate Authority

All authority comes from God. He is the ultimate authority. Everything comes from him. He creates everything, and everything flows from his authority.

Humans: Derived Authority

Humans have derived authority. We don’t have any authority on our own. Instead, we have the authority that is derived, or given to us, from God. Genesis 1:28:

Genesis 1:28 CSB

28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.”

Humans have dominion over the earth, an authority derived from our Creator.

Human Institutions & Structures

Under this human dominion are human institutions and structures that have authority. Romans 13:1:

Romans 13:1 CSB

1 Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God.

What are human institutions and structures? These are government, church, family.

Leadership & Service

Each institution has leadership and service. A family has the leadership and service of a mother or father, two people called together to lead and serve their home. In a church you have elders and deacons, people called to lead and serve.

Subordinate Authority

Institutions have authority structures that go down, which is subordinate authority.

Responsibility & Accountability

Finally, all humans have responsibility and accountability for their authority. When all of this is done correctly, we understand that we are accountable for our authority up the chain.

For instance, I am accountable for my position as a husband in the institution of marriage. I am responsible and accountable to lead and serve in my marriage, to love and serve my wife. I am accountable to her. I am accountable to my family. I am accountable to other humans for my marriage, I believe that the best gift I can give the church is a healthy marriage. Ultimately, I am accountable to God for my marriage.

Where things go wrong is when we forget this linear progression of authority. We forget who we are accountable to. Instead, we treat our position, the authority given to us ultimately by God, as if it’s all about us. We don’t think, what would God have us do in this situation? Instead, we say, what feels good for me?

Keeping the linear progression of authority in mind, let’s take a look at this confrontation between the Jewish rulers and Jesus.

The Confrontation

The Jewish rulers ask Jesus in Mark 11:28 “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do these things?”

What are the “these things”? This question is likely connected directly to Jesus’ actions at the Temple, when the day before he had cleansed the Temple by overturning tables, driving out those who sold, and teaching that the Temple should be a house of prayer, not a den of thieves. It also extended to the larger work of his ministry, one that resulted in him coming into Jerusalem that week and being praised by the people as he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.

Now, in one way, the question from the Jews is a perfectly rational question for them to ask. At the core of their work is the Temple. The Temple is the representative dwelling place of God for the Jews and the focal point of their worship. These Jewish leaders are entrusted with what goes on at the Temple.

On the linear progression of authority, they are leaders and servants within the institution of the Temple. They are responsible to other humans, the Jewish people, and they are ultimately responsible to God for their leadership at the Temple.

But here is the conflict: When Jesus came into the Temple and started cleansing the Temple, when he threw out the money changers, and cast judgment on the Jewish leaders by saying in Mark 11:17 “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves!”, he was acting as the true custodian of the sanctity of the Temple.

On a side note, when we are in Christ, we need his cleansing, do we not? We need him to clear out the filth inside and bring his healing.

The Question

Jesus responds to their question about his authority with another question. This is a rabbinic form of teaching. Jesus often taught through asking questions.

He asks them about John the Baptist. He says in Mark 11:29-30:

Mark 11:29–30 CSB

29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; then answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was John’s baptism from heaven or of human origin? Answer me.”

Now, why does he ask them about John the Baptist? John the Baptist had a very specific purpose to his ministry, it was to reach the Jews and make straight the paths for the Lord. The Gospel of Mark opens up by pointing us to this ministry of John the Baptist to lead people to Jesus. It says in Mark 1:1-3:

Mark 1:1–3 CSB

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. 3 A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight!

John the Baptist was the messenger sent to the people of Israel in the first century to prepare the way for the Lord. He had exclaimed to the people in Mark 1:7-8: “7 He proclaimed, “One who is more powerful than I am is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.””

The authority of John the Baptist was self-evident to the people of Israel. We are told in Mark 11:32 that the people of Israel “thought that John was truly a prophet.” They thought of him as belonging to the institution of biblical prophets, an institution who’s authority comes from God.

So this was the point of Jesus’ question: The God of Israel sent John the Baptist as a prophet to the people of Israel. The prophet that God sent to Israel has brought a word from the Lord to Israel. That Word from the Lord points to me, the Messiah, the one more powerful, the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. I am the Lord, the true custodian of the Temple, a place where God has come to dwell with his people.

The Jewish leaders could not bring themselves to come to the conclusion of Jesus’ question. That’s where they failed. They had a responsibility to God to say, “God, what are you showing us with Jesus? Is he the Messiah you have sent?” The answer was plainly in front of them, and they had a responsibility to submit to his authority.

Three things about the authority of Jesus for us in this text.

First,

The authority of Jesus is intrinsic to his nature as the Son of God.

The Jewish leaders asked the question of authority to Jesus because their hearts were antagonistic against him. They should have been there with the people, welcoming in the Messiah into Jerusalem, saying, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

His ministry was filled with authority. He taught with authority. If you look at the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught the people of Israel as someone who wrote the Law. Matthew 7:29 tells us about the authority present within his teaching.

Jesus had authority over sickness, demons, and nature. He healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, cast demons out of people, and calmed storms.

Jesus had authority over sin. The Jews understood that only God could forgive sin. Jesus forgave sin, and then showed his authority over sin by performing miracles. In Luke 5:24:

Luke 5:24 CSB

24 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralyzed man, “I tell you: Get up, take your stretcher, and go home.”

The paralyzed man then stood up, fully healed, showing the authority of Jesus to forgive sin.

Jesus had authority over the Sabbath, showing that to the Jews through his healing of a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, declaring in Mark 2:28 “28 So then, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.””

Jesus had authority in conflicts, seeing even in our text today, by the power of his words. Jesus had authority to know the future, as shown by the many predictions he gave his disciples of his death and resurrection.

Throughout his ministry, the authority he possessed was intrinsic to his nature as the Son of God.

There is an authority present within things simply by being what they are. One thing in California that I’ve wanted to learn was to surf. Surfing looks like one of the coolest things to me.

So one summer, I took a surfing class. In my mind, it didn’t look so hard. I thought I would just get up on the board and go.

It was that first part, getting up on the board, that I could never get to. The ocean is powerful. I could never get my balance. The ocean was too strong. I would fall into the ocean, and would have to be careful, because the ocean would throw the board back at me. One time I got up, and the board came back at hit me on my neck! That was scary, because it made it hard to breathe for just a few scary seconds.

See, really quickly, the ocean displayed to me the intrinsic power of its authority. I didn’t have to ask if it was powerful. I didn’t have to ask if it was wet, or if the waves could knock me down. I could understand the power of the ocean by simply being in its presence.

When you are in the presence of Jesus, his authority is powerful. His power is intrinsic within his nature as the Son of God.

The authority of Jesus is intrinsic to his nature as the Son of God.

Second,

The authority of Jesus is evident from the testimony of others.

As evidence of his own authority, Jesus points to the evidence of the testimony of John the Baptist. Now, why did he do this? One might read this as some kind of “gotcha” question. But, this was more than that. This was an act of grace from Jesus.

The Lord describes his purpose of bringing up John the Baptist to the Jews in John 5:30-34:

John 5:30–34 CSB

30 “I can do nothing on my own. I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies about me, and I know that the testimony he gives about me is true. 33 You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the truth. 34 I don’t receive human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved.

God used the testimony of John the Baptist to bring Israelites to salvation. John 1:37 speaks of two of John the Baptist’s followers following Jesus because of the testimony about Jesus that John gave. One of these disciples was Andrew, who became part of the Twelve.

God uses the testimony of others to bring people to Jesus. Hebrews 11 is this hall of faith of all these evidences of people with faith, that leads us up to Hebrews 12:1:

Hebrews 12:1 CSB

1 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us,

God uses the testimony of others! I think of the Samaritan woman running back to her town and testifying to others about Jesus. It says in John 4:39 “39 Now many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of what the woman said when she testified, “He told me everything I ever did.”” Her testimony brought others to come and learn of Jesus.

A testimony is not about yourself. It is about telling others about Jesus, the one who changed your life. John Stott said this,

Testimony is not a synonym for autobiography! When we are truly witnessing, we are not talking about ourselves but about Christ.

John Stott

Often when we give our testimony, it is a reminder to ourselves of all that Jesus has done in our own lives. There is power in a testimony.

For many years, I was part of the pulpit supply ministry for the San Diego Southern Baptist Association. What is that? Basically, when a church needed someone to fill in on a Sunday, they would go to a list that the association had, and call that person to ask if they could fill in for a Sunday.

Now, most of the time, these were small churches. Larger churches have a pastoral staff and know enough people to have pastors fill in when needed. When I say small, many of these churches were fifteen to twenty or so people.

They were often churches without a pastor, people looking for a pastor. They were churches with older folks in there, people who had been with the church a long time, and were trying to hold things together, trusting God for guidance.

Now, in the church world, these churches are churches that people in the church-planting world say need revitalization. Now, how do you revitalize a church like this? One word: evangelism.

Why is that? Aren’t they saved? I’m not talking about the people in the church, which may or may not be the case. But do you want to get a church of twenty people excited about church again?

Bring in a new person who has just been regenerated. Bring in a new person who has just been born again. Bring in the testimony of someone who is on fire for Jesus, who is excited about what he is doing in their life. The testimony of a life changed by Jesus is a reminder of his authority to seek and to save the lost.

The authority of Jesus is intrinsic to his nature as the Son of God.

The authority of Jesus is evident from the testimony of others.

Third and last,

The authority of Jesus is worthy of our whole-hearted submission.

The Jewish leaders missed a moment of the grace of God in their life. How did they miss it? By not being willing to submit in humility to Messiah, God in the flesh, the one right there, present within their midst.

In preparing for this message, I read an article titled, “Could a lack of humility be at the root of what ails America?” (4) It talks about something called intellectual humility, which it describes as reflecting, “the extent to which someone is willing to at least entertain the possibility that he or she might be wrong about something.” In the article, it concludes that, “most people do not score high on intellectual humility.”

While this article tended more toward politics, it does say something true about the human heart. The prophet Jeremiah described the heart this way in Jeremiah 17:9:

Jeremiah 17:9 CSB

9 The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?

Our hearts build up this wall of pride, so much so that we can be like those Jewish leaders, in the presence of the Messiah, and push away the evidence that is plainly right in front of us, in our midst.

One day at work years ago, I heard this loud drilling from the hallway. I went out and the maintenance guy was drilling this large hole into the wall. He was installing a new water fountain.

He did not just drill into the wall. He drilled right into the concrete. And not just the concrete. He drilled into the rebar within the concrete. Rebar is this metal bar within concrete that is used to help increase the strength of the concrete.

Not just any drill would do. He used this large circular drill bit that was diamond cut, one of the only bits strong enough to cut through concrete reinforced with rebar.

For some of us, we’ve built up a wall of pride in our hearts that can only be penetrated through by the work of the Holy Spirit. There needs to be a supernatural work of God within the heart to break through a heart of pride and submit to the authority of Jesus.

The Bible says in Romans 10:9-11

Romans 10:9–11 CSB

9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame,

Now, what does this look like? He says that one believes with the heart. There is a humility that needs to happen. There is humility to the authority of Jesus that occurs, and one says, “I need you God.”

There is a regeneration in the heart. The Bible calls it being born again. There is a revolution with the soul, a resurrection. There is a new life that is born, one that says, Jesus is Lord.

The authority of Jesus is like trying to explain the ocean. I can tell you about how big it is. I can tell you about the water. I can tell you about the power of the waves. I can tell you a lot about the ocean.

But at some point, me telling you about the power of the ocean is not the same thing as being in the ocean. In the same way, when you are in Jesus Christ, his authority is powerful.

When we are in Christ, we submit to his authority every day, seeking to live our life for Jesus every day, because as it says in Matthew 28:18, all authority in heaven and earth, is his.

Conclusion

The authority of Jesus is intrinsic to his nature as the Son of God.

The authority of Jesus is evident from the testimony of others.

The authority of Jesus is worthy of our whole-hearted submission.

Conclude

Prayer

Communion

We will have communion, remembering Jesus and his sacrifice for us. Meditate on the Lord and where your heart is with him.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 CSB

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Last Song

Doxology

Numbers 6:24–26 CSB

24 “May the Lord bless you and protect you; 25 may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” ’

Jude 24–25 CSB

24 Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.

You are dismissed. Have a great week in the Lord!

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2019/09/19/why-americans-dont-fully-trust-many-who-hold-positions-of-power-and-responsibility/

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2019/07/22/trust-and-distrust-in-america/

https://religionnews.com/2022/06/21/poll-americans-belief-in-god-is-dropping/

https://theconversation.com/could-a-lack-of-humility-be-at-the-root-of-what-ails-america-116118