Find Mark 11:27 in your bible. Today, our text deals with the idea of authority and where authority truly comes from. One of the sources of authority in our lives today is the word of God. So we take our worship gatherings very seriously and reverently. We believe that the words that I am going to read are truly God’s words interpreted into the modern English language. We believe that God’s word is authoritative in our lives and just as Paul tells Timothy, 2 Timothy 3:16–17 “16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

The words contained in this book are without error, will not fail, and they have authority over our lives. And we will treat them as such. So this morning, if you are able, I am going to ask you to stand in reverence to the reading of God’s authoritative word.

Mark 11:27–33 ESV

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.”

Who Gave You Authority?

I grew up in a house with 2 older sisters. We actually get along really good now, but there were times when we were children that we would end up in arguments at times. Having a sister that was 3 years older and one that was 5 years older meant that I would often lose these arguments. And in the grand scheme of life, they were usually over insignificant matters. But they would win at times, and I always thought I had a trump card that I could pull out. Who died and left you in charge?

In our passage today, the priests and scribes and elders are asking this question to Jesus. Who gave you authority.

Some context on authority in the temple. Going all the way back to the book of 1 Kings, the high priests in the temple had come from the lineage of a priest named Zadok. He served during the reign of King David and King Solomon. So every priest after him was a descendant of him. That is until around 150 years prior to our passage today. For over 800 years, the high priest came from the line of Zadok. Then, the Hasmonean family appointed themselves as high priests. These were descendants of Aaron, so they were at least a priestly family. But then Herod began to appoint high priests and they were not from a priestly lineage. They began to appoint on the terms of politics. And that is what had happened in the time of Jesus. Caiaphas was appointed on behalf of the power of Tiberius, the Roman Emperor.

In our passage, we see that Jesus’s authority is questioned by people who should not even be in authority. These men thought that because an earthly ruler gave them some authority, that they could question authority that had been given to Jesus by the ruler of the universe.

Main Point: Ultimate Authority is Given by God

Maybe you struggle with this idea of authority. I have a level of anti-authority in me that I constantly struggle with. I have never taken too well when someone tells me that I cannot do something. I know this about myself and I know that it can be a problem at times and God has truly worked on me in this area. But, on the opposite hand, we all look for authority. There is something or someone in our lives that we look to for guidance. Maybe, it is some sort of structure that is above us. Bosses or managers. Or in the legal aspect, laws and systems. For a lot of people, this authority comes from self.

We do not want anyone telling us what to do or not do, or what is right or wrong, except ourselves. We want to have ultimate authority in our own lives. But this is anti-gospel. At the heart of the gospel is surrender. Surrendering ourselves to the authority of God in our lives.

We are often like the Sanhedrin and look to ourselves for authority. And when we do this, we can question any other authority. Because we are above everything else. And this is where our passage begins today. With the Sanhedrin questioning the authority of Jesus.

The Authority of Jesus is Questioned

As we have gone through the book of Mark, this is not the first time that the authority of Jesus is questioned. We can look back to chapters 2 and 3 of Mark and see it questioned there. In fact, chapters 2 and 3 mirror somewhat with chapters 11-12. Each of these instances occur in the temple or around the temple authorities, and each of these sections have what you could categorize as 5 temple controversies.

In the earlier chapters, the controversies were about forgiveness, eating with sinners, fasting, being Lord of the Sabbath, and healing on the Sabbath. Now, starting here in chapter 11, we have a new set of temple controversies beginning with the question of Jesus’s authority. Just like there being 5 in chapter 2 and 3, there are 5 here. The question of authority, question of taxes, questions about the resurrection, question of the greatest commandment, and the question about whose son is the Christ.

So we begin these temple controversies right here.

Mark 11:27 ESV

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,

Jesus and the twelve are headed back into Jerusalem. This is the same day as the lesson at the fig tree that was our text last week. When they are walking in the temple, they are approached by the chief priests, scribes, and elders. These make up the Jewish high court, the Sanhedrin. The are a group of 71 men who are led by the high priest, Caiaphas. This group of men had both religious power and political power. This would have been a group of the most powerful men around. And they approach Jesus with a question.

Mark 11:28 ESV

28 and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?”

Authority is given. You cannot take authority and give it to yourself. This is delusional. Authority is given to someone. Just like the Sanhedrin had been given authority from the High Priest and from the Roman Emperor, God had given Jesus authority. So when they ask this question of Jesus, there is actually an acknowledgment of some sort of authority given to Jesus.

The authority of Jesus had already been discussed before. There are people who had seen Jesus working and knew that he had authority.

Mark 1:22 ESV

22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

Mark 1:27 ESV

27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

Mark 2:10–11 ESV

10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”

All of these instances are recognizing the authority of Jesus. Jesus has been given ultimate authority from God. These men questioning, actually see it, but yet they question it. They ask by what authority is he doing these things and who gave him this authority. Different questions, same answer. God gave him the authority to do these things. He gave him authority to take the donkey and ride it into Jerusalem. He gave him the authority to walk into the temple and flip over the tables and drive out the money changers. He gave him the authority to declare the destruction of the temple. He gave him the authority to teach on the intention of the temple in the first place.

God gave him authority. But they questioned it. They did not accept his authority, they did not want his authority. Why? Because they knew that his authority superceded theirs. They wanted him out of the way. Their goal was to embarrass him and make him look like a fool so that people would lose their respect for him. Then, they would not have to worry about him getting in their way. Just like he ruined what they had going on in the temple, they wanted to ruin his reputation by catching him in a conundrum.

On the surface, they wanted him to claim to have authority from God to do these things. They knew that if they could get him to do this, then they could charge him with blasphemy. They they could take him to trial and have him taken care of. But deep down, their intentions were not to just have him be taken out of the way. They wanted him gone completely. Not in jail, but out of the way.

What were they willing to do to have this happen? Well we know that they were willing to send him to a public execution to show who had authority. But what they did not know is that Christ would display supreme authority through the resurrection. They questioned his authority.

The Authority of Christ is Shown

I have learned through experience that the heart of counseling begins through questions. If you have ever been to any sort of counseling, you know that it doesn’t start with someone teaching you about something. They begin with questions. Why are questions important?

Questions are like augers. If you have never seen an auger, it is kind of like a huge drill bit. You use it to dig holes in the ground for large posts. The auger will go round and round while it pushes into the earth. The deeper you go, the more soil comes to the surface. Questions bring things to the surface.

It will show true beliefs. It will show underlying issues. It will show us hangups and heartaches. And it will show us true intentions. See, Jesus doesn’t just answer them. He turns them to answering a question. Not because he needs an answer, he is God and knows the true intentions of their hearts. No, he wants to bring to the surface their true intentions.

Mark 11:29–30 ESV

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.”

If you answer this one thing for me, I will answer you. Seems like a fair trade, right? An answer for an answer. But the question was a difficult question. Was the baptism of John from heave or from man? I will tell you by what authority I have if you tell me what you think about the baptism of John. While these men thought that they were playing chess, it was truly tik tac toe compared to the chess that Jesus was playing. They weren’t even playing the right game.

What he is referring to is John the Baptist. John the Baptist was looked at as the forerunner to Jesus. He was paving the way for the ministry of Jesus on Earth. John was a convicting preacher as he preached of the coming Messiah. He was so convicting, that he caught the attention of Herod. John the Baptist preached against the sexual misconduct of Herod and it cost him his head. This is the same Herod who had appointed the men who stood before Jesus.

These men would be baffled by this question. This is not some random question that Jesus is asking them. This question would prove their allegiance. The response would be eye opening as to whose authority they recognize and follow. Because there is a right and wrong answer.

We will get into the response, but let us dwell on the idea of being asked questions for a moment. We are all asked questions on a daily basis. Sometimes they don’t even come in the form of words. But our actions and thoughts are always answering the question being asked of us. The question of which master do you serve. Ultimately, this is the same question these men are being asked.

Who do you serve? There will be 162 1/2 hours this week when you are not here. Your answer will come down to how you think, act, and speak during this time. Do you show your allegiance to Jesus with how you treat others? Not just when you are holding the door for someone at the restaurant, but when that person is speaking bad of you. Do all of the words that come from your mouth honor God? Not just when you are here singing songs on Sunday, but when you are with your friends and you know that you will stick out like a sore thumb for not talking like they talk. Do all of your thoughts honor God? Not just when you are here listening to a mediocre sermon, but when you are somewhere and things don’t go your way or someone does something that upsets you.

When others look at our life, do they see Christ living through us or do they see the ones who are opposing Jesus?

In this moment, Jesus shows his authority by the question that he asks them. Even if you don’t think he has authority over you, he is showing it by the question over your life over who you are serving.

The Authority of Christ is Realized

Even though the question had been asked, they cannot see that he has authority over them until they try to think of a way to answer the question.

Mark 11:31–32 ESV

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.

They are in a pickle here. They have 2 options of how they can answer Jesus. And neither answer has an outcome that is beneficial for them. One will make them look bad, the other could endanger them. This is what we call being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

On April 26, 2003, there was a man Aron Ralston who went on a solo descent in the Bluejohn Canyon in Utah. He was an outdoorsman and adventurist. He had quit his job the year prior to climb Denali and he had a goal to climb all 59 of the Colorado peaks that were higher than 14,000 ft. But during this one particular descent, something happened.

One of the boulders that he was climbing down dislodged. His left hand was hit, but his right hand was crushed. He was pinned by this boulder. He was between a rock and a hard place. What made it worse was that he told no one his hiking plan and he did not have any way of calling for help. He was stuck for 5 days before he was able to free himself, but that came with the consequence of losing his right arm.

These men were trying to catch Jesus so that they would be able to move forward with their plan. But what happened was that they were the ones who got caught. And now, there would be no way out. And just like the man caught by the boulder, these men would have to cut their loses.

Mark 11:33 ESV

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.”

I was once told that we all have choices. That just seems like a good saying, but let it sink in. We all have choices. In the words of the great philosopher Geddy Lee from the band Rush, if you chose not to decide, you still have made a choice. We all have choices. These men made their decision.

See, the decision wasn’t just if they were going to answer Jesus. The decision they were making was who they were going to fear. Fear God or fear man.

This is what I am talking about with the question we are all asked every day. It comes with a decision. Who will I fear. Will I fear the one whom I will one day stand before who will judge and punish all of my sins that I have ever committed. Or will I fear man, who has no true or eternal authority over me. One comes with a temporary respite from your problems. One come with eternal consequences.

What should not happen is that one who professes Christianity turn this into a case of grace endangerment. Paul warns us about this. Romans 6:1–2 “1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” When you chose to continue to sin, you are choosing fear of man over fear of God. Because, when you break sin down to its simplest form, it is selfishness. You are choosing your own authority over God’s authority which proves that your fear of man(missing out on your sin) outweighs your fear of God.

Who will you fear?

When you make the decision, like these men from the Sanhedrin, to fear man rather than fear God, Jesus will likely respond to you in a similar manner. His answer to these men showed that Jesus knew what was in their heart. Maybe it is a response of disappointment because you were someone who would be charged with grace endangerment. Maybe it is a response of desire for you to have come to know him more deeply. Or maybe it is a response that comes with eternal consequences.

There will be people who have professed faith in Christ, worked in his name, spoke in his name and will be just like the Sanhedrin. They have chosen to serve someone else. They have chosen to live a life of lies. And Jesus warns us of this.

Matthew 7:21–23 ESV

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Conclusion

So this is how I want to leave us today. A challenge for all of us. There is both a heart issue and a head issue that we deal with when it comes to authority. The heart deals with us first recognizing God’s authority and the head deals with us constantly remembering that we should submit ourselves to his authority.

If you have never recognized God’s authority in your heart, today is the day to do that. We do that through belief in the gospel. (gospel presentation)

But then, we must deal with our head constantly. We are told to take every thought captive. So that is what we must do. Be obedient in recognizing consistently and constantly the authority of Christ in our lives. This may come in the form of us being obedient to something God wants us to do. And this could come in the form of us being obedient to the authorities that God has put in place over us, like a boss or our parents.

Remember that we are always answering the question of who we are serving. We do this with our thoughts, words, and actions.

I said earlier that Jesus showed his authority through his death and resurrection. It is our job to recognize that. We have a chance to do that through singing right now. If you are a Christian, the blood of Jesus has been applied to you. That is something to praise God for. So we are going to do that right now.