By what authority are You doing these things?

 Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him and spoke to Him, saying, "Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things?  Or who is he who gave you this authority?"  But He answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me.  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet."  So they answered that they did not know where it was from.  And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

- Luke 20:1-8

In yesterday's reading,  Jesus drew near Jerusalem, and He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace!  But now they are hidden from your eyes.  For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."  Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  And He was teaching daily in the temple.  But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.

 Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him and spoke to Him, saying, "Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things?  Or who is he who gave you this authority?"   My study bible explains that "Jesus is questioned about His authority.  These things include the cleansing of the temple and His preaching of the gospel with messianic claims." 

But He answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me.  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?"  The interesting thing about Jesus' answer is hidden in plain sight:  it is His expression which is full of authority.  He doesn't answer their question but asks one of His own.

And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet."  Using His own authority, Jesus immediately puts the leadership in a defensive position.

So they answered that they did not know where it was from.  And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."  My study bible says of today's reading:  "Perceiving their intent to trap Him, Jesus answers with a question of His own -- and reduces His opponents to silence."

Today's reading is a kind of quiet but firm exchange.  Jesus is challenged as to His authority to cleanse the temple (see yesterday's reading) and also to teach as He does.  But Jesus' elegant and firm answer puts them in their places.  If they haven't an answer for Him, neither is it necessary for Him to answer them.  This is a kind of dueling authority at play; Jesus counters with His own authority in each exchange, and He will do so through to the end, in acceptance of what is to happen later on in Jerusalem.  But at no time does He surrender His authority.  He is the Prince of Peace, His weapon is His authority -- even in human form.  As we watch what is to come, we may note the ways in which He duels or spars with His opponents, the ways in which the Prince of Peace goes about His business in the world.  We already know of His powers used to heal and to cast out demons, to feed and to come to His disciples when they need Him.  These things have already been shown in the Gospel.  We know of His prescience, His understanding of hearts, His foreknowledge, His Transfiguration, His holiness.  But He is not the conquering, liberating Messiah that others expect.  He is God Incarnate, the Son of Man, who will be crucified, who will suffer and die, and who will ascend on the third day.  All of these things have a purpose and a reason.  All of them are a part of the power of God, to bring God's grace to us.  In all of these things Christ's authority remains.  He is bringing a kingdom into this world to defeat the prince of the world, but it doesn't come by way of expectation nor understanding in the sense in which it is awaited.  It comes with faith.  It comes with love:  our love for Him responding to His love for us.  He will suffer and die, but He will never surrender His authority; we can see it in the display in today's reading, in which He spars and argues -- in a certain sense -- with the leadership in the temple.  His authority is clear.  He will do what He must.  And here is a key to the authority Jesus uses:  it will expose the hearts of men, including the leadership.  If we look to the early part of Luke's Gospel, in chapter 2, we find Simeon's prophecy to Mary:  "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."   This is the sword He brings to the world, the one that pierces Mary's heart, that may be a stumbling block for many, but ultimately reveals the thoughts of many hearts.  In all ways, Christ is preparing for the time of His return, a time of Judgment, the time in which we now await Him and have our own faith to pursue in the ways in which He has taught.  His authority will be used so "that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."  This is one way in which we are to understand Him, and to understand the purpose of our own lives.  It's a good question the leadership asks, although asked with bad intent.  They don't really want the answer He has to give.  Let us remember that He has taught repeatedly about the pure in heart, and called Nathanael "an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit."  In Luke's Gospel quite recently, He's taught about the little children, who model those who come to the kingdom.   What is His authority for, and where does it come from?  Let us consider Simeon's prophecy, and understand what He is about, where His authority is, and what it is for.  How we come to Him makes the great difference in the answer we receive.