By what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?

 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

Yesterday, as read that as Jesus drew near to Jerusalem, 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?"   Since coming to Jerusalem, Jesus has been doing things that are particularly expected only of the Messiah:  His Triumphal Entry from the Mount of Olives (which we read about in Thursday's reading), the cleansing of the temple (yesterday's reading, above), and preaching and teaching daily in the temple afterward.  My study bible suggests that the elders confront Jesus since it was the duty of the priestly descendants of Levi to manage the temple.  While Jesus was descended from Judah (see Luke 3:33), He is the High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4), which is a priestly line far great than that of Levi:  Christ's authority is from the Father.

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."  Jesus responds to a question with a question.  He deflects the question about Himself to a question about John the Baptist.  We have to remember that He's there in the temple teaching and preaching to the people, who love to hear Him there.  It's the week just before the Passover, and so pilgrims have come to Jerusalem; the people who hear Him are from everywhere.   John the Baptist was widely considered to be a very holy man, and a type of hero who stood up to the authorities in protest and defense of their faith (he criticized Herod Antipas for an unlawful marriage) and was murdered for doing so (see Mark 6:14-29).    Since these authorities cannot answer this question in front of the crowds, Jesus successfully and glibly "defeats" their attempt to accuse Him.

One thing I notice about Jesus here is His toughness.  Being the embodiment of the Beatitudes in His meekness, His weeping and mourning over Jerusalem, His humility, being a peacemaker, and representing righteousness or true justice  (as we discussed in yesterday's reading and commentary), does not mean that He's not "tough" in His righteousness and even His defense of the righteousness of others -- such as John the Baptist here in today's reading.  So all the virtues embodied in the Beatitudes are also those that keep on us the right track of "righteousness," of real justice as persons, as we witness here in Jesus' conduct before the authorities.  He doesn't budge from the truth, and He's clever and witty in the ways in which He will defend His truth even to these authorities who behave with resentment and envy.  And that's something we must take very seriously as part of the picture of true humility.  Humility, first of all, is in the cause of God's righteousness, and the truth that we find in the love of God.  Humility does not describe a worm-like attitude toward the egos of human beings; it's remaining, on the contrary, one who, like Christ, isn't craven for "the praise of men" but rather for the praise of God.  This is what keeps us humble and in the right place.  It doesn't mean that we give up our values or our faith in the face of others with more worldly authority than we have.  Being a peacemaker means we remain rooted in the righteousness we're taught in humility before God.  Furthermore, Jesus brilliant gifts of oratory are given in service to righteousness, in the clever and articular way He responds to these men -- not "arguing" but rather posing His own good question so that they are incapable of giving an answer before the people.  It's important to remember what real strength is; He doesn't bring an army to defeat His enemies physically, He doesn't manipulate people, but all His strength is in His heart and His intelligence, everything He is given over to the service of the Father, of that truth and righteousness.  This isn't a bragging, competitive kind of sparring; it's Jesus' full focus on being about His Father's business in the temple (see Luke 2:49).   Jesus teaches us detachment from worldly things, but He also teaches us what true commitment, strength, and passion are all about, what it is to be truly fully a human being, to serve the greatest and highest good we can.  Let us remember what it is to bring the fullness of our intelligence, our heart, our talents, to God, and remember the amazing strength and vigor of our humble Christ.  Let us note also that the ones who question Him with their hearts closed to faith do not receive an answer from Him.  It's a lesson for all of us, in many ways.