Who Put You in Charge?? Mark 11: 27- 33
Notes
Transcript
We have all made choices in life that have led to negative consequences. Well, maybe you haven’t, but I have. Perhaps if you’re batting 1.000 on life choices, you’ve at least observed this phenomenon in others.
There is a road being walked down that clearly only leads to bad things, but they just keep walking.
I can remember hearing my dad say from time to time, hey you’re really crusing for a brusin right now. you better shape up.
You’re on a pathway that only leads to hardship for you.
You’re headed for trouble.
You’re inviting misfortune.
It would better to abandon the pathway.
But how many times have you been warned, or have warned others, or have seen other be warned and yet that warning is left unheeded as the person in question just keeps marching toward their own destruction. They are crusin for a brusin, and that brusin is about to hit.
From time to time my boys like to pick a fight with me. They’re grab a towel and start trying to snap me with it. It’s all fun and games until I grab a towel in turn and all the sudden they don’t seem to like that game as much any more. When you pick a fight you cannot win, you don’t get to cry when you lose.
Well in our passage today, the religious leaders are headed down a path that will ultiamtely lead to their own destruction. They are crusin for a brusin, though it is no laughing matter. In today’s passage they are going to confront Jesus over his actions in the temple, and in the weeks to come we will find the hostilities only increase as the battle of wits between Jesus and the Pharisees unfolds. Chapter twelve is going to begin with a parable that speaks of severe judgment on these religious leaders. And it is our passage today that sets the backdrop for that parable. Why was Jesus denouncing them so strongly? Why is there such wrath reserved for them?
Let’s read Mark 11:27-33 and see the beginning of the mounting tension and hostilities betwen Jesus and the religious leaders.
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.”
Before we get into the exchange between the two parties, there are several details worth noting.
First, let’s remember the context here. Jesus has been on the journey to Jerusalem and along the way he is teaching his disciples several things. Among them these two primary points 1) That he must suffer and die 2) what discipleship looks like. What does it mean to follow Jesus. It’s the way of humble service and submission.
As he approaches Jerusalem at the end of chapter ten we find the famous words.
The son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Chapter 11 opens with the grand triumphal entry, the King has arrived!
He comes into the temple, surveys the scene, and then retires for the night.
The next day he curses the unfruitful fig tree before driving out the money changers in the temple. The people were making a mockery of worship.
Upon leaving the temple, the disciples notice the tree is withered and are amazed. Jesus teaches them about faith and forgiveness, something the religious leaders sadly know nothing about.
That was where we left things before Christmas.
As we come to this passage, notice that verse 27 begins with “they came again to Jerusalem”. Mark continually emphasized that Jesus is at the location where he predicted everything would go down. This is it.
Notice who all approaches him as well. The chief priests.
These are the ruling priests. They control everything connected to ritual worship.
The scribes. These are the experts in the law. If there is a dispute about the law, if there are questions, these are the guys they come to.
And then there are the elders. There were lay leaders in the community. Well respected, they carried an air of dignity and gravitas. When they spoke you listened for their wisdom.
All together, they were the members of the Sanhedrin. They governed the people in all things pertaining to the law of moses.
This triplet signals for us that the end is near for Jesus. The last time these three groups are all mentioned in the book of Mark takes us back to Jesus first prediction of his death in chapter eight.
Mark 8:31 (ESV)
And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.
And here they all approach Jesus, and are only setting themselves up for divine retribution.
The outline I’ve provided for us today is a rather grim one. How to place yourself under divine judgment.
How to place yourself under divine judgment...
How to place yourself under divine judgment...
You want to get God’s judgment? Do you want his wrath, well, here is the blueprint to get there. A step by step guide for maximal suffering when the books are opened and you must give an account to almighty God.
This is nothing new for the pharisees, but this passage highlights their hypocrisy oh so well.
First.
1. Reject the authority of Christ.
1. Reject the authority of Christ.
Look at verse 28 again.
and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?”
They are responding, of course, to Jesus’ startling actions in temple.
We have a farmers market in town. During the summer it is hosted at Big Four Station by the walking bridge. In the winter, it is hosted in a church downtown. Can you imagine the response if a local pastor walked into the market and just started flipping tables and driving people out?
Who do you think you are??
While it is a somewhat natural question that we might ask, we would ask it with genuine confusion and alarm.
The religious leaders are not asking from shock. They are asking because they know exactly who Jesus is and what He was doing.
Jesus actions were not just the actions of a crazed religious zealot.
These were the actions of a King come to cleanse the temple and lead the people in repentance.
Everything about what Jesus has done from his entrance, to the cleansing, to the teachings, are laced with Messianic undertones that would have been unmistakable to the Jewish leaders.
Furthermore, if I could take us back to the very beginning of Jesus’ minsitry, we saw how this issue of authority was a major theme as Jesus was establishing himself. The people were amazed at how he taught with authority, how he commanded the demons with authorty, how he could forgave sins with divine authority, how he viewed the Sabbath with authority, how he commanded created itself as he calmed stormy seas and walked upon the water with authority.
What manner of man is this??
Jesus has shown his authority.
The question is always. will you submit to that authority.
The accusation latent in the voice of the leaders here demosntrates that they do not in fact accept his authority.
Remember who these guys were. They were the recognized leaders of the temple scene. They are the ones who control the temple activities. The whole circus in the temple plaza was only there because these guys allowed it.
Their question is not just, “excuse me, sir, sorry to borther you, but by whose orders do you do this?”
It’s more like “who died and made you king?” Where did you get this authority, because I know that WE certainly didn’t give it to you.
Inherent in this question is a challenge to Jesus’ rightful authority as the Messiah. It is clear that they reject his claim of authority.
Furthermore, because of how we know that the religious leaders operate, we must not ignore the reality that there is a certain trap here for Jesus.
Jesus’ actions would have been clear signals to a keen Jew that he was declaring himself the Messiah and Davidic King. But He Himself has not yet claimed those titles and roles publically.
The leaders knew that Jesus was invoking messianic and kingship feelings in the people, and it may very well be that they are asking this of Jesus so that they could accuse him before the Roman officials who would have missed the significance of Jesus’ actions.
They knew what his actions communicated about who he claimed to be. Now if they could just get him to say it out loud, it’d be curtains of him.
Do you want to receive the judgment of God? Reject His authority over your life. Don’t repent of your sins. Don’t believe the Gospel of grace freely offered to you.
Don’t take up your cross and follow Christ. Don’t bow in humble submission to his rightly rule as Messiah and King.
Don’t accept his teachings, his ways, his example, or his word.
Reject the authority of Christ you and you get what you seek.
Things only flow logically from there, really. If you reject the authority of Christ, you have no concern for truth, but will do whatever is most beneficial for you in the moment
2. Forsake truth for situational expediency.
2. Forsake truth for situational expediency.
The leaders ask their question, and notice how Jesus replies.
Jesus doesn’t answer directly. He wasn’t evading the question altogether. Question and counter question was a common form of dialogue among religious leaders as they hammered out disputes about the law.
But Jesus’ question exposes their hypocrisy and demonstrates that they never had pure motives in seeking to know the source of his authority.
verse 29
Mark 11:29 “Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Mark 11:30 “Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.””
Jesus question is brilliant. And Mark’s explanation of the reason exposes the brilliance of Jesus’ question.
verse 31
Mark 11:31 “And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’”
Here is the trouble.
Who was John the baptist?
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’ ”
John was the forerunner to the Messiah. John was the one who was to prepare the hearts of the people to receive the Christ.
There hadn’t been a true prophet in Israel for 400 years before John stepped on to the scene.
And there he was. And what was his message?
John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
And what was his testimony?
And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
The testimony of John the Baptist was that Jesus was the Christ.
So now. You who ask Jesus the source of his authority. What say you about John the Baptist?
And their conversation among themselves remind me of what all good politicians do. They try to figure out the safest way out of the question that will cause them the least damage to their administration or campaign.
If they say John was from heaven, they expose themselves to be hypocrites and liars.
They did not follow John. They did not like John. Other Gospels report that John called them a brood of vipers. There was no love to be lost between them.
To say he was from heaven would certainly cause people who scoff. Oh really. Now you’re going to say he was a prophet. That’s the direction you’re going to go.
What’s more. If they say from heaven, they must accept Jesus and His authority, because John explicitly identified Jesus as being the divine Messiah.
You cannot accept John and denounce Jesus.
So what’s going on here? They are forsaking truth for situational expediency. They cannot answer the question honestly. They cannot speak freely because their own sin and pride, and their desire to protect their own position. They care more about their status than they care about the truth. As Mark Strauss wrote in his commentary,
“Their hypocrisy is evident in that their deliberations are motivated not by what is true about John, but by potential backlash from Jesus or the crowds” — Mark Strauss, ZECNT
This is a very dangerous game. And I believe it is a game that is played all the time in our churches. I’ve had the providential experience of witnessing severely dysfunctional churches attempt to navigate challenging times. Everyone had an agenda. Everyone had an angle.
No one would give straight answers to direct questions, there was always some kind of deflection and misdirection. These things ought not be so.
Not from me. Not from anyone else who serves in leadership. No games. No political expediency. Just a pursuit of truth.
Jesus warns about desiring to be the greatest. Paul writes against seeking your own agenda but rather to pursue the interests of others.
These are warnings and instruction ignored by the leaders here. And they are exposed for their hypocrisy, and as we will see, denounced by Jesus and handed over to judgment for it.
Do you want to receive the judgment of God?
Do not pursue truth and honesty.
Don’t honestly evaluate truth claims. Don’t think about what is right, think about what protects your position and influence.
Don’t view your position as a means to serve, but rather to be served.
Don’t allow the facts to get in the way of your personal agenda and desires.
don’t do those things, and you will get what you seek.
There is more to their deliberations. and it exposes their fear of man. Again, this is a natural extension of reject Christ’s authority and reveals the motivation for situational expediency.
It’s because they fear man rather than God.
3. Fear man rather than God.
3. Fear man rather than God.
Let’s keep reading.
Mark 11:32 “But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet.”
My preferred translation of this is text is from the or LSB or CSB which both read along these lines:
“But if we say, ‘From men’?”—they were afraid of the crowd, for everyone was regarding John to have been a real prophet.
Mark provides the reasoning of the leaders with a pair of conditional sentences.
The first is “if we say from heaven, then he will ask why we didn’t believe him”
The second is “if we say from men” and then Mark doesn’t provide the “then” portion of the sentence. The apodosis is just left hanging. You can just feel the weight of the implication.
If this was a movie scene, you could almost imagine the dramatic flair.
“If we say from men...”
and the dramatic music chimes in duh duh duuuunnnnn
The “then” portion of the conditional framework doesn’t need to be completed for Mark gives the reasoning:
They were afraid of the crowd.
The crowd believed John was a real prophet. No matter what the leaders thought of John, the popular opinion of the day was that John was a true prophet of God, and if they say that John was merely acting of his own volition, and that he was not from God, and that the age of silence was not broken with John voice but carried on...
They certainly would have lost the confidence and the loyalty of the crowds.
This ties in with their situation expediency. They have act for situation expediency because they fear man. They feel they have to protect themselves. They have an image to maintain and they can’t go against popular opinion and hold on to their valued positions at this point.
So they decide to play it safe and say idunno.
Which was a lie. But they were more concerned about power and influence than truth.
They were more concerned about what people thought about them than they were about what was true and what they actually believed.
And because of that, Jesus refuses to play their games.
Mark 11:33 “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.””
If you cannot answer honestly without trying to play political games, you do not deserve an answer.
It’s not like Jesus was leaving them in the dark. They knew the answer, they just wanted him to say it. Jesus exposes their game and refuses to answer what they already know.
Fear of man. Fear of man is a significant issue for each and every one of us.
I for one, am a man prone to this particular sin. At heart, I’m a people pleaser. I want people to like me, I want them to listen to me, I want them to feel good about being around me.
That on its own may not seem so bad, but it leads to very miserable places very quickly.
I have to work hard to put this tendency and proclivity to death. I have to regularly tell myself, it doesn’t matter what people think of you, what matters is truth.
I don’t want to be this kind of leader. I don’t want to be one to hedge every statement weigh the political risk of answering one way rather than another.
I’m grateful for many of the mentors I’ve had over the years who have modeled humility and a willingness to be challenged and respond with honesty and integrity. I hope and pray I can follow that example.
The Jewish leaders. They feared man more than they feared God. And as a result, they would face God’s judgment.
Do you want to be judged by God?
Seek the favor of man above all else. Don’t do anything that would cause the world to dislike you.
Don’t be willing to honestly evaluate if you are wrong if that means losing face in front of others.
You will get what you seek.
It was in response to this interact that Jesus is going to give a parable that ends with judgment on these leaders. Because the failed to fear God, because they refused to evaluate honestly, because they ultimately rejected the authority of Christ, they will receive what they justly deserve.
The obvious solution to these errors is to simply do the opposite.
Rather than reject the authority of Christ, believe and receive!
Rather then forsake truth for situation expediency, be willing to evaluate honestly
Rather than fear man, fear God, for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
This all begins with the Gospel of Christ. Through faith in the Gospel we are freed from the tyranny of self, the tyranny of needing the approval of man.
As believers in Christ, we do not have to live in fear of condemnation and the wrath of God.
But we can easily slip into these patterns in our lives that reflects the leadership of the pharisees more than the leadership of Christ.
Make a commitment to truth. Seek the fear of the Lord over the fear of man. Remind yourself regularly of freedom that you have in Christ such that you are no longer a slave to sin. You no longer need the approval of man to give you purpose and fulfillment.
Begin your day with submission to Christ. Before you grab your phone and begin the daily scroll, spend a moment in prayer
“Lord, I give myself into your hands this day. May I submit to Christ and His commands. May I honor you with my life.”
Let’s pray now.