Who is in charge anyway?

A Day of Questioning

Imagine this: A substitute teacher walks into a classroom and the class might question does he really have permission to tell them what to do? Then the teacher starts speaking as one with confidence wisdom, one with authority and the full backing of the school and the wonder leaves quickly.

In our passage today we are going to see the religious leaders question Jesus authority. Unlike the substitute His authority did not come from a school, it came directly from God, the question was not if he had authority but would people recognize and submit to His authority.

This comes on the heal of the triumphal entry where the leaders tried to silence His followers and Jesus said even the rocks would praise.

Then the cleansing of the temple by driving out the sellers.

Now we get to the next day, next morning and its a day of questioning. The question they bring is not sincere, it is to try to trap Him. Jesus does not fall into their trap, but turned the question back on them with wisdom and authority.

This moment teaches us about Christ’s authority, hardness of human hearts, and the importance of honest seeking.

Our Passage of study

Luke 20:1–2 NASB95

1 On one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him, 2 and they spoke, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?”

Luke 20:3–4 NASB95

3 Jesus answered and said to them, “I will also ask you a question, and you tell Me: 4 “Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”

Luke 20:5–6 NASB95

5 They reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6 “But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”

Luke 20:7–8 NASB95

7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from. 8 And Jesus said to them, “Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Anything stick out to you in this passage?

Who came questioning Jesus authority (vv.1-2)?

Chief priests, scribes elders

They wanted to know who who is the one who gave Him the authority to do these things.

What question did Jesus counter their question with (v.4)?

Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?

Why did they not answer Him (vv.5-6)?

From heaven, why did you not believe

If from man, they will stone us, for they are convinced he was a prophet.

Subjective question: What does this passage reveal about the dangers of fearing people more than God?

The Challenge/Question

Luke 20:1–2 NLT

1 One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 2 They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”

Jesus in the temple, teaching, preaching the Good News.

Leaders question His authority, Demand to know by what authority is he teaching, preaching, doing these things. Are they totally wrong in asking that question?

They were not asking for the right reason, they were asking to try to trap Him, but the question in and of itself would not be wrong since they are teachers of the Law and protectors of the law and want to know He is teaching and preaching the law properly and where did he get the authority from. They normally would be ones to protect the law. But here, they were feeling threatened by Him by His ministry, they lived by the letter of the law and Jesus went by the Spirit of the Law.

Man wants to question the unfamiliar . However Jesus’ response invites us to look beyond human credentials and recognize His divine mission. This point can help believers to consider how they might challenge Jesus’ authority in their own lives and encourage humility and openness to His Lordship.

They were demanding credentials not truth.

Jesus counter question response

Luke 20:3–4 NLT

3 “Let me ask you a question first,” he replied. 4 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”

Jesus wise response, where did John’s authority to baptize come from, heaven or earth?

He exposes their motives and forces them to confront their own hypocrisy.

What is the source of true authority?

Jesus mention of John’s authority , and in doing so, exposes the leaders’ lack of sincerity. Maybe we need to often look at ourselves and as ourselves foundational questions about our own believes when it comes to truth about our relationship with Christs’ authority in our lives, do we really give Him authority.

The Leaders fearful dilemma

Luke 20:5–7 NLT

5 They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. 6 But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.” 7 So they finally replied that they didn’t know.

So, here’s the dilemma

IF they say “from heaven” - they condemn themselves

If they say “from men, - they fear the crowd

Their indecision reveals their spiritual blindness.

So, they refuse to answer the question, fearing the consequences of their answer, so they claim ignorance. Their refusal shows the hardness of their heart. They chose ignorance rather than truth. Many people today can do that too, can’t they?

Jesus withholds answer

Luke 20:8 NLT

8 And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Since they will not answer, Jesus is not going to step into their trap and answer them. He had spoken of His authority and where it came from previously and they would not believe, accept it previously.

His authority is undeniable, but only those with open hearts will see it.

Truth isn’t given to the insincere.

We have plenty of time today, how about some discussion points and applications?

Discussion Slide 1

Discussion Slide 2

Discussion Slide 3

Discussion Slide 4

Application

Recognize Jesus’ authority: Am I submitting to Him as Lord in every part of my life?

Be honest before God: Am I avoiding truth because it convicts me?

Courage vs. fear: Do I live for the approval of people or for the approval of God?

Discern false motives: Not all questions are sincere — how do I handle challenges with wisdom like Jesus?

Conclusion

Jesus authority is not up for debate, it is divine (Mt28:18) the question is whether we will acknowledge it and accept it or resist it and reject it.

Those who humbly seek truth will find it, those who harden their hearts will remain blind.

Let us be people who bow to His authority with faith and courage.