Mark 11:27-12:12 - Jesus' Authority Challenged

Message Introduction

Some people do not want the truth

Some people are unresponsive and not receptive

Getting to the Root of Critical Judgments

A key step in breaking free from the habit of making critical judgments is to trace them to their source and cut them off at the root. To do this you must deal with your heart. James 4:1-12 describes two of the most common sources of critical judgments. The first is selfishness. When others stand in the way of what we want, we strive to remove their opposition by tearing them down and diminishing their credibility and influence in any way we can (vv. 1-3).

Pride is another source of critical judgments. Thinking that we are better than others, we set ourselves up as their judges and begin to catalog their failings and condemn their actions. As we saw earlier, when we do this we are imitating Satan by trying to play God (vv. 7, 12). Pride can also reveal itself in the inclination to believe that “I alone understand the truth about things.” I think that my beliefs, convictions, theology, and doctrines are true, and I look down on anyone who disagrees with me (cf. Gal. 5:26).

Matthew 7:3-5 shows that self-righteousness is another root of critical judgments. When we have done something wrong but we do not want to admit it, one of the most natural things we do is to draw attention to and even magnify the failures of others.

Insecurity, which is a form of the fear of man, is a related root of this problem. When we lack confidence in our own beliefs and positions, and fear that they might be disproved, we often conclude that the best defense is a good offense. Therefore, we attack others’ views and judge them before they can judge us.

Jealousy can also lead to critical judgments. As we see in Genesis 37:11, Joseph’s brothers were jealous of his close relationship with God and his father, and they repeatedly interpreted his motives and actions in the worst possible way. As their jealousy grew, it culminated in their selling him into slavery.

Another cause is self-pity. On occasion, many of us find a perverse pleasure in feeling sorry for ourselves. Therefore, we tend to interpret situations in a way that hurts us the most. One of the best ways to do this is to interpret others’ actions as a form of betrayal.

Prejudice is frequently a cause of critical judgments. When we have preconceived, unfavorable opinions about others simply because of their race, religion, gender, or status in life, we will consistently seek to validate our views by interpreting their beliefs and actions negatively.

Unforgiveness can also lead us to look for the worst in others. If someone has hurt us, and we do not forgive him, we will look for ways to justify our unforgiveness. Finding more faults in the person who hurt us is a convenient way to conceal the hardness of our own heart.

Of course, the ultimate source of critical judgments is a lack of love. Where love is deficient, critical judgments will be the norm. Conversely, where love abounds, charitable judgments should abound (1 Cor. 13:4-7).

Message Outline

The Challenge of the Son (Mark 11:27-33)

The Consequences of Sin (Mark 12:1-12)

Message Exposition

The Challenge of the Son (Mark 11:27-33)

The Chase (Mark 11:27-28)

​Mark 11:27 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 is once again in Jerusalem. We recognize that we are nearing the climax of Jesus’s ministry here on earth.

Three groups of elite leaders are said to have pursued him: the chief priests, scribes, and elders. These three groups make up the Sanhedrin. It is a 70-member ruling council of the Jews.

The chief priests are the ruling priests. They trace their lineage all the way back to Aaron. The scribes are the experts in the law. And the elders were influential lay leaders.

This apparently is an official delegation of the highest court in Judaism. This is the most religious and most credentialed people in the land. They are the spiritual leaders of the nation.

They believe that Jesus is wrong. Throughout the book of Mark, we have been seeing that these leaders have been moved by envy and jealousy. They’ve attacked the miracles of Jesus. They’ve attacked the message of Jesus. They have even attacked him as a man. They have been constantly disputing him. There’s a significant difference between a doubter seeking more information to believe and a cynic who is already made up their minds and is looking to prove you wrong.

There is a hardness of heart. There is a deafness of ear. There is an unbending will apparent in many of these religious leaders.

They want to take Jesus down. Probably because they want to hold onto their own power and authority. Isn’t that the reality? Don’t we see it in our own political arenas? People will say and do almost anything to hold onto power and control. They believe that holding on to the power and control is the highest and greatest good. The question of what is true and right as far from their minds and hearts

The Charge

​Mark 11:28 and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?”

The question of Jesus’s authority is seen throughout the Gospel of Mark.

The key word throughout this first half of Mark’s Gospel is “authority.” Everything Jesus does he does with authority. Jesus’ announcement of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:13) is itself a claim of extraordinary authority. God’s “Kingdom” refers to his sovereign authority over all things as Creator and King. He is Lord of the universe. Yet since the “fall” of Adam and Eve, creation has been in a state of rebellion, fallenness, and decay. The “Kingdom of God” is shorthand for the renewal of all things. Jesus makes the remarkable claim that he is here to restore creation itself!

Claims to authority continue as Jesus begins his public ministry. He calls four fishermen to be his disciples and they drop everything to follow him

Jesus’ authoritative command inspires them to leave behind family, homes, and occupations. Jesus then enters the synagogue in Capernaum and begins to teach. The people are amazed because he teaches with authority, not like the teachers of the law

A demon-possessed man suddenly shows up in the synagogue. The demon quakes with fear at Jesus’ authority, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

Whenever Jesus encounters demons, they recognize his identity and are terrified. He is the mighty Messiah and Son of God!

Acts of authority continue throughout Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. By healing a lame man, Jesus confirms that “the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”

As “Lord… of the Sabbath” he exercises authority over the Old Testament law

By appointing twelve apostles, representing the restored tribes of Israel

Jesus acts with the authority of God himself, who first called Israel into existence. Divine authority is also evident as Jesus controls the forces of nature, calming a storm with a command, “Quiet! Be still!” The terrified disciples respond, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

This question, “Who is this?” nicely summarizes the theme of this half of the Gospel. The question will be answered with Peter’s confession

More and even greater miracles follow. Jesus casts out not one, but a “legion” of demons; he heals chronic disease that no one has been able to help; he raises a young girl from the dead.

Twice he feeds thousands of people with a few loaves of bread and fish.

He walks on water, a divine act, since “God alone… treads on the waves of the sea” (Job 9:8).

So back to Mark 11:27-33

The Sanhedrin ask a series of intimidating questions. In essence they are saying, what rate do you have? Who do you think you are? These are questions looking with a humble heart and desiring to understand the truth. There is no search for truth here but only declaration of wrong and evil. Jesus is guilty in their eyes and he must prove himself innocent. It’s the exact opposite of our judicial system where a person is supposed to viewed as innocent until proven guilty.

We live in a culture that with only a scant amount of evidence judge people’s motives, methods, and actions. We judge them guilty before evidence has been presented. We assume the worst.

These religious leaders are hard hearted and determined enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are not approaching him with open minds. They are not coming to him and sincerity. They are not truly seeking what is true and what is right. They are looking to destroy Jesus. Look back just a handful of verses to Mark 11:18

The religious leaders asked to parallel questions. The first question targets the nature of Jesus’s authority.

• The base of the authority

… To do these things – probably refer to the provocative actions of cleansing the temple and even his royal entrance into Jerusalem

The second question clarifies the first by asking the source of Jesus’s authority

• The source of the authority - who gave you this authority

The Counter-Punch: Question answered (Mark 11:29-33)

​Mark 11:29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

​Mark 11:30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.”

What Jesus does is outwits, outsmarts, out maneuvers them. How can your human’s wisdom stand up to the infinitely wise God? How do we think we could actually out-question or win a debate with the all-wise God?

Jesus brings them to the question of who gave John the Baptist authority. Jesus brings them to the question of who gave John the Baptist authority. The phrase baptism of John is a short hand phrase to describe the whole ministry of John. He called people to repent. He baptized people for the forgiveness of sins. This was done in preparation for the coming of the Lord.

Was it from heaven meaning that it was legitimate and ordained by God? Or was it something that he took upon himself and was self-centered and self-appointed?

They all knew about John the Baptist. John the Baptist probably only dead a year or two.

Was JTB’s authority a heavenly authority or a human authority?

What Jesus is doing here as he is exposing their stubborn, hard hearted, refusal to believe. He’s exposing their insincerity in a biography. He is creating a major dilemma for them.

The religious leaders had come to challenge Jesus’s authority. It is interesting that the repetition of the imperative “answer me” only emphasizes the authority of Jesus. He demands an answer from them.

The Calculation

​Mark 11:31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

​Mark 11:32 But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet.

Jesus creates a major challenge to them. As we said he backed into a corner. John the Baptist was widely regarded as a prophet of God. His reputation was even more enhanced by his martyrdom. Jesus his own ministry was closely linked to John’s, first in their miraculous births, second in Jesus’s baptism, and third in the fact that John said that Jesus was his successor.

John the Baptist was well known. He was a son of a high priest. Son of Zachariah. They knew the stories of Zachariah being mute when he was told that his wife Elizabeth had been barren would give birth to a son. They knew that Zacharias mouth was open any praise God at the birth of his son. They knew that John the Baptist have been called to the ministry from the very womb. They knew the message of John the Baptist was to repent and be baptized and the Lamb of God was coming. So, Jesus back them into a corner. The dilemma that they had to deal with was John the Baptist’s authority a heavenly authority or human authority?

Why John the Baptist? Jesus and John the Baptist have been linked from the beginning. Yes, they are cousins. But more than that they both have received their authority because of heavenly declaration. It was apparent that these leaders had rejected the authority of John the Baptist and if they had rejected the lesser, they would not accept the greater.

The religious leaders are all scrambling, what do we say to him? How do we answer him? Once again they’re exposing that they are more concerned about holding onto their prestige and power rather than getting to the truth.

They huddled together to try to figure out how they are going to answer Jesus’s question. Once again, their question is about how to save face rather than how to search facts. Jesus puts them on the spot. If they gave an answer in the affirmative, it would open them up to the church that they rejected a prophet of God. Jesus could’ve easily said why did you not believe him? If the answer in the negative, they were worried about opposition from the people who believe that John was sent by God. Once again, they are showing their hypocrisy. They’re motivated not by the truth about John but by the potential backlash from people or even worse from Jesus.

The problem is that if they accept the legitimacy of John the Baptist ministry and they should also except the legitimacy and greater than that the authority of Jesus.

The Compromise

​Mark 11:33 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.”

So, what do they do? They claim ignorance. They would prefer to be humiliated by the fact that they say they do not know rather than to humbly submit to the truth that is before then.

If they cannot discern whether John the Baptist ministry was a heavenly authorized ministry and if they could not see the truth of the son of God standing before then, how could they lead the people of God. They become the blind leading the blind.

One commentator said it this way their pride and self-interest outweigh their submission to the will of God. If they will not answer Jesus’s question, he will not answer theirs. This is more than just a tit for tat. His refusal to answer is essentially saying that if they have no discernment in the ways of God with reference to John, they have no authority or ability to judge the source of authority. So, there is no reason to answer

The Consequence of Sin (Mark 12:1-12)

The Parable (Mark 12:1)

​Mark 12:1 And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country.

Jesus has now outwited them and now he goes on the offensive and challenges them with a parable about who the real caretaker of Israel is.

The parable seems to be taken from Isaiah song of the Vineyard in Isaiah 5:1-2.

The father represents God. The servants represent the profits. The tenant workers represent the religious leaders. The Vineyard represents the nation of Israel. And the sun represents Jesus.

In Isaiah the Vineyard represented Israel and Judah. It speaks in the passage that God will judge their failures to produce good spiritual fruit.

The nation had gone into a dollar tree and were displaying injustice to others. God said he would take away their hedge of protection and allow for the experience to overrun them. Jesus takes this imagery and modifies it portraying the leaders of Israel as the wicked tenant farmers on the Vineyard. They were refusing to give God his share of the produce. They were rejecting his messengers the profits. And then his son.

The tenant farmers will be judged and their authority for the Vineyard would be given over to others.

The Problem (Mark 12:2-8)

​Mark 12:2 When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.

​Mark 12:3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

​Mark 12:4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully.

​Mark 12:5 And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.

​Mark 12:6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

​Mark 12:7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’

​Mark 12:8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.

The Picture (Mark 12:9-11)

​Mark 12:9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.

​Mark 12:10 Have you not read this Scripture: “ ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;

​Mark 12:11 This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

The Plot (Mark 12:12)

​Mark 12:12 And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.

Bringing It Home: Practical Application

Judgment is coming

God’s grace and patience is still apparent

What should God do to you?