And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do 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

On Saturday, we 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?"  My study bible tells us that these things refers to Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem as Messiah (see Friday's reading), the cleansing of the temple (Saturday's reading, above), and His preaching, as we were told that He was teaching daily in the temple (above).   All of these thing would be prerogatives of the Messiah.  The elders confront Jesus as it was the duty of the priestly descendants of Levi to manage the temple.  My study bible adds that while Christ as descended from Judah (see 3:33), He is the High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:4), a priestly line which is far greater than that of Levi, as 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."   In Jesus' exchanges with the leaders of the temple, we see a kind of alacrity and dexterity in debate that characterizes Jesus' retorts.  He at once is willing to fence with them in argument, to the delight of the crowds.  Here, He refuses to answer directly, but keenly turns the tables on the ones who question Him as to His authority.  What do they know about authority, Jesus seems to ask.  And of course, they are unable to answer, so He refuses also.

Jesus is Logos, the Word, John's Gospel tells us (John 1:1; Logos means Word in Greek).   As Son and Word, we know Him as Creator or the Lord of the Old Testament, through whom all things were spoken into being (for example, see Genesis 1:3).  As Son Incarnate, the human Jesus, Jesus' interactions with those around Him surely live up to that divine name.  His use of language is brilliant.  It is concise, to the point, ever-ready to defend the truth He brings with His gospel, and always sharp, dexterous, and witty.  His debate with the authorities delights the crowds in the temple who listen to Him gladly.  With words, Jesus is light on His feet, so to speak.  With words, He embodies a motto the boxer Muhammad Ali used to describe himself in the ring:  with words, Jesus "floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee."  Nobody gets the better of Him.  Jesus is not a physical warrior and not an earthly king.  He doesn't make His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem riding on a horse or in a chariot, and neither does He have an army with Him.  But His real weapon is truth.  It is His gospel message, which is given to us in His words.  It is conveyed through His brilliant use of parables, His witty replies, His phrases which still remain in all languages examples of use of language that, 2,000 years ongoing, capture our ears and imaginations in vivid poetry and images.  It is the word of the Word that captures us, grabs our hearts, and gives us a proliferation of meanings that apply in varied moments of our lives to our own circumstances.  Jesus is master of language, and this is His weapon, the sword with which He fences so brilliantly with His opponents.  Lest we forget what we are about, it is the Word of God we study here on this blog each day, and that lives with us and speaks to us, interacting within our earthly lives.  St. Paul writes that "the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."  This is the power of the truth.  It is that which is necessary for the ultimate judgment at Christ's return.  It is that which brings us division, and that for which we seek discernment.  The word of God is that within which we steep ourselves in our own lives to "keep us in the right place," so to speak.  So let us consider, when we read Jesus' replies in defense of His truth, His disciples, and all those who come to Him, what it means to be the Word, to live the word of God, and that this word remains active with us and within us.  The life of the kingdom is here, ever-present -- and we need to know just what this good fight into which we, too, are invited, is all about.