Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things

When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?’ And they argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say to us, “Why then did you not believe him?” But if we say, “Of human origin”, we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.’ So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And he said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

- Matthew 21:23-32

My study bible notes that the chief priests and elders bring charges against Jesus for his chastisement of the tradesmen in the temple (the moneychangers and dove-sellers - see yesterday's commentary). It points out that they cannot object to Jesus' miracles, so charges are brought with regard to the cleansing of the temple in yesterday's reading. Jesus is not a Levitical priest and does not have the schooling normally required of a rabbi. Hence, Jesus is asked about his authority in the temple. They ask him, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"

But Jesus, true to form so far in Jerusalem, doesn't shrink at all from this confrontation. In fact, he turns the tables on his inquisitors. By way of response, he asks them a question of his own. "I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?" The honest answer, of course, will quite simply point to Jesus' own authority. Because John was so widely regarded as a prophet, just as Jesus has been welcomed into Jerusalem by many who hailed him with Messianic titles and greeting, the chief priests and elders are in a bind as they puzzle out an answer in front of the others in the temple. They reason among themselves: "If we say, 'From heaven', he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'Of human origin', we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." Jesus' response comes swiftly and simply: "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things." The same "unknown authority" is of course the answer to the question.

Then Jesus gives the temple authorities a parable in front of the crowds by way of elaborating a teaching during this very public dispute. We recall that the word for "parable" can also be translated as "riddle": "What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" Quite cleverly, Jesus' riddle points up the difference between an act proclaiming obedience and a true act of obedience, despite words (and first appearances) to the contrary. This is a very simple, swift and direct illustration of the words from Isaiah that Jesus has quoted earlier in this gospel (Matthew 15:1-20):

"This people honours me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching human precepts as doctrines."

Jesus continues his questioning of the chief priests and elders: "Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, ‘The first." Jesus then delivers his answer to them: "Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him."

My study bible notes that Jesus mentions the tax-collectors and prostitutes because they were considered great sinners, in order to jolt his hearers into obedience. The questions they posed to Jesus, I read, are not considered to be motivated by honesty in the first place, but by hostility and unbelief. I think this is an important consideration. Would one expect an answer like this with response to an honest question? I don't think so. Jesus is addressing their hardness of heart, and he does so directly, without quibbling. So, as so often happens in the gospels, we have a poetic doubling of meaning. Jesus is directly illustrating a point about unbelief, about obedience and faith, and the difference between heartfelt obedience and the appearance of this faith and love in relationship. With the story of the two sons, we get a clear illustration of where sincerity lies, and how much (or how little) the appearance of obedience means within this context. At the same time, we are called to question the motivations of the authorities in the temple: are they concerned for their position, or is the question an honest prompting from a heart that is open to Spirit, to God? Jesus' teachings call us to think about these issues for ourselves, and over and over again take us to this issue of the heart that is either open to the reality of this kingdom or hardened by "worldly" considerations.

As in yesterday's reading, the questions come up for us again and again. Can we recognize the holy at work in our lives? Do we understand Spirit and its promptings, its energies of mercy and grace around us? Does it "break in" upon us? Do we seek a deeper meaning in what we do? Do we look in our hearts for what obedience means? What does humility have to do with this ability to spiritually see and hear? Over and over again, we must ask ourselves these questions; they will always be with us, drawing us further and deeper into the heart and into love. There is always the knock on the door of the heart, asking us whether or not we will open to it.

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
- Rev. 3:20