Sermon 9/27/26
Notes
Transcript
Truth & Obedience
Truth & Obedience
Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”
Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”
So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
“ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
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Jesus is engaging with the three groups of the Sanhedrin; Sadducees, scribes, and Pharisees. They ask Him a question but instead of answering their question directly which will bring about His death he answers their question with one of His own.
Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’
The question about John is an easy one and yet they refuse to answer because it will hurt them. If they say John was from Heaven then we are admitting to ignoring a true prophet and they would have to admit that Jesus is who every says he is, the Messiah. If they say that John was using his own earthly authority it would anger the people and they would refuse to pay the Temple Tax and this would directly hurt their pocket book. So instead they say “We don’t know.”
—> There is nothing wrong with saying “I don’t know.” when the answer is genuine. The problem here is that the I don’t know is coming from a place of self preservation.
—> There is no quest for the information it is simply an answer to hopefully stop the line of questioning and maintain the status quo.
—> It would be nice to leave this here and say “ooooohhhh bad high priests! I would never do that…” Unfortunately that’s not the case.
The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 The Expedient Ignorance (Matthew 21:23–7)
There is a grim warning here. There is such a thing as the deliberately assumed ignorance of cowardice. If we consult expediency rather than principle, our first question will be not ‘What is the truth?’ but ‘What is it safe to say?’ Again and again, the worship of expediency will drive us to a cowardly silence. We will lamely say: ‘I do not know the answer,’ when we know perfectly well the answer, but are afraid to give it. The true question is not ‘What is it safe to say?’ but ‘What is it right to say?’
The deliberately assumed ignorance of fear and the cowardly silence of expediency are shameful things. If we know the truth, we are under obligation to tell it, though the heavens should fall.
Since the Chief Priests refused to answer Jesus he was under no obligation to answer them their question and continued on His own line of questioning with a parable…
“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
“ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
This is perhaps Jesus’ most plain and clear parables and yet the Pharisees still get it incorrect. The true answer to Jesus’ question “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” is neither.
In this parable of obedience neither son shows their father true obedience.
We used to have a saying in our house that still get’s used from time to time…
Obedience is doing is right away, all the way, in a happy way.
