The Ultimate Authority is Jesus - Matthew 21:12-27

Introduction: What do you know about authority? I would say that there are three things that every believer must know about authority:

1. Know where authority originates.

2. Know when to submit to authority.

3. Know when to exercise authority.  

   In Matthew 28:18 we read,

   And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

   In Romans 13:1-4 we read,

   1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

   In John 19:10-11, Pilate he claimed to have authority over Jesus’ life and death. We read,

   10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” (ESV)

  In 2 Corinthians 10:8, the Apostle Paul spoke of Apostolic authority,

   8 For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed.(ESV)

   So, what do we learn just from those verses? We learn the following facts about authority:

1. All authority come from God.

2. We must submit (come under) the authority appointed by God.

3. Authority done right builds people up and doesn’t tear them down.   

   You and I will discover through life that there are various authoritative entities. Let me mention the top three:

1. Civil/Governmental authority

2. Parental/Family authority

3. Church authority

   Now, don’t miss what I am about to say: The Ultimate Authority for every Believer is Jesus.

   Our text today is about the authority of Jesus being challenged. Now, bear in mind that AUTHORITY has always been challenged – even today people challenge authority (those who have power over them).

   First, we are going to see areas where Jesus has authority, and then we are going to see that authority challenged. Are you ready to jump into our study? Here we go…

1. Jesus’ Authority over the Temple – 21:12-17

   Who is Jesus? How would you answer that question? Here is what I see just in Matthew 21:1-11:

· He is Lord – Matthew 21:3

· He is King – Matthew 21:5

· He is the Son of David – 21:9

· He is the prophet – 21:11

   Therefore, when Jesus enters the temple, a place to worship God, He has a right to make whatever corrections need to be made.

Jesus owns the place! After all, it is called, the temple of God.

A. Jesus didn’t like what He Saw in the Temple – 21:12

      12Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.

   Notice the words,

   Jesus went into the temple of God

   Like I have already said, Jesus’ Father owned the place, so Jesus also owns the place because He is His Father’s son.

   And what does Jesus do after He enters the temple? We read that He,

    drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple

   The Greek word “drove out” (Greek: ekballō) is the same verb used for casting out demons. Jesus wasn’t mildly upset; He was violently purging corruption from a sacred space.

   The temple that was meant for worship had become a marketplace (emporion), a religious racket. Pseudo religious individuals were making money off people’s desire to be right with God.

   This same thing is taking place today in the name of prosperity theology – places of worship have become marketplaces for charlatans.

   Warren Wiersbe comments, “Instead of praying for the people, the religious leaders were preying on the people.”

   Jesus…

· Drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple.

· Overturned the tables of the money changers.

· And the seats of those who sold doves.

   Question: What tables would be overturned in your life? What have you allowed in your heart that dishonors God’s holiness?

B. Jesus Declared the Purpose of the Temple – 21: 13

   13And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”

   Here in this verse Jesus quotes two Old Testament verses:

· Isaiah 56:7 - My house shall be called a house of prayer.

· Jeremiah 7:11 - But you have made it a den of thieves.

   The word “thieves” (lēstēs) in Greek refers to violent robbers—not petty crooks, but exploiters. And don’t forget that these people were religious.

  Matthew Henry notes, “The temple was profaned most by those who should have protected its sanctity.”

   Now, let us think about the Church today. Is Spirit Lake Baptist Church a house of prayer or a hub of distraction? God help us to make sure that when we gather in this building, this place of worship that we are committed to praying for one another. This is to be a house of prayer. I would encourage all of us to do the following:

· Pray as you walk up to this building.

· Pray before you enter this building.

· Pray in our worship service (corporate prayer is good).

· Pray during our Sunday school hour.

· Pray individually for one another.

· Pray as we conclude our time together.

· Pray as you leave this building.

    Prayer is simply expressing to God what our needs are.

    We are not finished with the topic of prayer – we will revisit it again when we get to verses 20-22.  

C. Jesus Ministers in the Temple – 21: 14–17

   14Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?” 17Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.

   Notice that it is after Jesus deals with temple corruption that the blind and the lame came into the temple.  The blind and lame were being excluded. Why? Because they had nothing the religious charlatans could take from them. Also, helping needy people is messy work.

  When the blind and the lame heard and saw what Jesus did, they came into the temple, and we read that,

   “He healed them.”

   Jesus has authority over disease.

   Now, look at verse 15,

   15But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant

   Notice what the chief priest and the scribes saw, heard, and responded:

· What they saw – “the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did,

· What they heard – And the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

· How they responded - they became indignant.

   Wow! Talk about hard hearts. Talk about being indifferent, cold, and dead.

   Look at verse 16, at what they say to Jesus,

    And they said to Him, “Do you hear what these are saying?”

   Their response was meant to have Jesus to silence the children, but He doesn’t do that. No, he says to them,

   “Have you never read,”

  And He proceeds to quote Psalm 8:2,

   ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise”?”

   Jesus tells these religious leaders where “perfected praise” comes from – children and nursing infants. The Greek word for “perfected praise” is katartizō, and it means, made complete or properly equipped.

   Here is what we see in these verses: When Jesus is given rightful authority, broken people are healed, and true worship occurs—even from children. And this is the way that it should be even today when we gather in this place of worship – the Church (God’s people) worship God.

   Verse 17 tells us,

   Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.

   Bethany was about 1.5 miles from Jerusalem. It was where the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus was located. It is believed that Jesus went and rested in their home.

2. Jesus’s Authority over the Fig Tree – 21:18-19

A. The Curse upon the Fig Tree – 21: 18–19

   18Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. 19And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.

  Here we discover that Jesus has authority over nature – the fig tree.

   It’s morning and Jesus was hungry (This shows us His humanity). Jesus was fully God and fully man.

   Our text tells us that Jesus saw a fig tree by the road, and He came to it expecting to find figs, but instead he found nothing but leaves. It was a fruitless tree. It should have had figs on it, but it didn’t.

   Jesus speaks to the tree and says,

   “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.”

   Understand that Jesus cursed the fig tree not for its fruitlessness alone, but for it’s false appearance—it had leaves, which meant that it should have had fruit.

   In Scripture the fig tree often symbolized the nation of Israel (Jeremiah 8:13; Hosea 9:10; and Micah 7:1). Jesus was denouncing fruitless religion—external appearance without inner transformation.

   J.C. Ryle wrote, “A religion which consists only in outward form is a mockery in God’s sight.”

  We read at the end of verse 19,

   Immediately the fig tree withered away.

   Israel had the signs of fruitfulness, they had leaves, but they were barren, no fruit.

   God help us not to be full of leaves, without fruit in our Christian life.

3. The Lesson about the Fig Tree – 21: 20–22

   20And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” 21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

   In verse 20, the disciples saw the fig tree, and they asked,

   “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?”

   Go back and underline the word, “immediately” in verse 19.

   At this point Jesus takes the fig tree, and He turns it into a teaching moment. He speaks to His disciples about faith and prayer.

   Jesus tells His disciples that when they pray that they must not “doubt” in verse 21. The Greek (diakrino) words mean, to waver or hesitate.

   When Jesus speaks about moving mountains He is speaking figuratively. Moving a mountain was a Jewish metaphor for overcoming great difficulty (see Zechariah 4:7).

   Jesus links authority to believing prayer—not wishful thinking, but confident trust in God's power.

   Are your prayers marked by belief or doubt? What mountains (difficulties) need to move through faith-filled prayer in your life? Will you take authority over them through faith and prayer?

  Take time to bring your faith and your prayers before God. Tell Him what your needs are and do so in believing prayer. By faith ask God to remove whatever mountain in your life is a great difficulty.

  Scripture tells us,

  You do not have because you do not ask.(James 4:2b)

  Finally, we discover…

4. Jesus’ Authority Questioned – 21:23-27

A. Their Questions – 21:23

   23Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?”

   The religious leaders ask Jesus,

   “By what authority are You doing these things?”

   The Greek word for “authority” (Exousia) implies delegated power or the right to act.

   They recognized Jesus’ power but wanted to know His credentials. Why do you have authority and who gave you this authority?

   Dr. John MacArthur wrote, “Jesus’ authority was self-evident; their questioning revealed rebellion, not ignorance.”

   Many people today still question Jesus’ authority. I ask you; will you acknowledge Him as Lord or debate His credentials?

   God’s people need to learn to submit to authority that God places over them.

B. Jesus’ Question – 21: 24–25

  24But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: 25The baptism of John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

   In verse 24, Jesus counters their question with His own question about John the Baptist. Jesus asked them,

   “The baptism of John – where was it from? From heaven or from men?”

   The Greek structure demands a thoughtful answer, but they were unwilling to give one. Why? Well, look at the second half of verse 25,

   And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

   Sometimes people don’t want truth; they want control. Are you asking questions to seek truth or to avoid accountability?

C. Their Response – 21: 26–27a

   26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

   They deliberated (dialogizomai – to reason inwardly) and realized any answer would trap them.

   Their final answer: “We do not know”—a willful evasion.

   G. Campbell Morgan penned, “The leaders of religion refused the light they had; no further light could be given.”

   Rejecting revelation always leads to spiritual blindness. Obey the light God gives you.

D. Jesus’ Response – 21:27b

   27So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

   Jesus refuses to answer their question—not because He couldn’t, but because they weren’t sincere.

   Divine authority is not subject to human interrogation. Truth is revealed to the humble (cf. Matt. 11:25).

Conclusion: Jesus demonstrated unmistakable authority—over the temple (worship), over disease, over nature, and over human hearts. The question is not whether Jesus has authority, but whether we will submit to Jesus’ authority.

   Here are a few questions for us to think about:

1. Does Jesus have full authority in my life? And do I submit to those Jesus has placed over me? (i.e., parents, teachers, church leaders, bosses).

2. Am I producing fruit that reflects inward transformation? The fruit of recognizing godly authority.

3. Do I respond to Jesus with faith or with evasion like the religious leaders? Do I honestly submit to Jesus’ authority over my life?

   Dr. Adrian Rogers said, “Either Jesus is Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all.”

   May we acknowledge Jesus’ authority not just with our lips, but with surrendered hearts and obedient lives.