By Who’s Authority?

The Plot

Mark 14:1–2 LSB

Now the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away; and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how, after seizing Him in secret, they might kill Him; for they were saying, “Not during the festival, lest there be a riot of the people.”

The Triumphal entry has happened

Passover is near

The spiritual leadership is trying to kill Jesus

they are going to give Jesus their final tests to see if they can trip Him up so that the people will reject Him

the leadership are afraid of the people which we will see today

they want to execute Jesus after the Passover so that most of the people will have gone home

they will kill Him in secret if they have to

but the funny thing is. the Father has a specific time and means for the death of Jesus

it doesn’t matter how well we plan something if God has a purpose and plan it will be done on His time table

So, Jesus has now thrown out the merchants and the animals for sale from the temple

we find Him back in the temple teaching the people proclaiming the gospel

the good news of the kingdom

to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved

to put your faith in the finished work of Jesus

who died for our sin then was buried and rose again on the third day for our salvation

Read Luke 20: 1- 8

Who’s Authority

V 1

Luke 9:22 LSB

saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.”

these men are enemies they hate each other they have different theologies

but they have one thing in common they hate Jesus even more so they are challenging Jesus

authority to do have to cleanse the temple?

V 2

If these men wanted to know the truth all they have to do is think about it

Jesus has authority to heal anybody of anything this only come from God

Jesus has authority over creation. with the fish, with the storm, walks on the water. rode on an un-ridden colt made water into wine

he has authority over death

He has authority over the demonic world

all of which is from the Father

but they are grasping at straws to condemn Jesus

remember these people are delusional

their minds are blinded to the truth

their hearts are hardened

just like Judas God has one task for him and that is to betray the Lord Jesus

the Old Testament speaks of him selling the Lord for 30 pieces of silver

this man did this of his own free will

just like these men are exercising their free will to plot to kill Jesus

But just like anybody who has not been regenerated by the Holy Spirit their free will Hates God

they are slaves of sin and self. they are in bondage to satan who uses them for his purposes

satan’s purpose is to kill Jesus

so, these people are doing their best to trap Jesus with questions

who gave you this authority to come into our temple and drive out the merchants who are bringing us an income?

Jesus Responds

V 3-4

Is Jesus evading the question?

why is Jesus asking this question?

Who did John the Baptist proclaim?

John was prophesied in

Isaiah 40:3–5 LSB

A voice is calling, “Prepare the way for Yahweh in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. “Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; Then the glory of Yahweh will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.”

John says I am he, the one who proceeds the Lord

John came baptizing for repentance

to prepare people for the coming Messiah

the leadership had no intention of repenting because they felt there was nothing that they needed to repent of

we see John talking to these men

Matthew 3:7–12 LSB

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. “And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Johns authority came from prophecy of God

Johns authority came from God

John spoke of the Messiah who John is unworthy to tie his shoes

John baptized Jesus where the dove came down and rested on Him and the Father spoke from heaven concerning Jesus

the people all believe that the authority of John is from God

but the leadership does not but if they tell the truth it will cause trouble

V 5-6

they have taught the people to be very stringent against apostacy and this could very easily go against them if they tell the truth

Jesus is telling them that the Father is His authority

the same as the authority of John the Baptists’

but this leadership would never acknowledge it because their agenda is to kill Jesus

and if they acknowledge that Jesus had The Fathers authority. they would have to admit that they were wrong

V 7 so they lied

V 8 Jesus is not going to put pearls on pigs by answering a question that they will not accept

Is Jesus authority in your life?

the Holy Spirit convicts you of something do you take the correction and change

or do you give an excuse why you think its better if I continue to live in this sin, or way of life