Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things

 

 Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- where was it from?  From heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."  And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

"But what do you think?  A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'  He answered an said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise.  And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?"  They said to Him, "The first."  Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."

 

- Matthew 21:23-32 

 

Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read,  'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?"  Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there. Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.  And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." 

 

 Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- where was it from?  From heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."  And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."  My study Bible explains that since Christ is not a Levitical priest, the chief priests and the elders challenge His authority to cleanse the temple (see yesterday's reading, above).   But Jesus is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers, so in His response, He confounds them with a different question about John.  The question of the elders and priests, and also Christ's question, both require the same answer -- and therefore would lead a person to confess that Jesus has come from heaven.  In not answering them directly, my study Bible says, Jesus teaches us not to answer people who come asking about holy things with a malicious intent.

"But what do you think?  A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'  He answered an said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise.  And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?"  They said to Him, "The first."  Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."  Here is an example of the oratorical skill of Christ:  in using their own principles, the elders convict themselves in their answer to Christ's parable.  

Jesus is clearly not afraid to turn the tables on His inquisitors, the people whom He sees are not asking in good faith.  He has no problem using His exceptional skill with language, He gives us a taste of what it is to see and hear the Word (Christ, the Logos) using His power of truth to catch these rulers in the temple in their own trap, their own game with Him.  Repeatedly, Jesus has shown the signs (or "fruits" if you will) of His ministry that are expressions of the time of the Messiah.  Even in yesterday's reading, even in the temple in Jerusalem just prior to what we read today, Jesus heals the blind and the lame (see yesterday's reading, above).  But still, the authorities are bent on one thing and one thing only:  they desire heartily to prove that Jesus has no real authority, and they need not pay attention to Him.  In fact, they work to destroy Him because the people follow Him and hence His ministry is a rival to their authority.  All the signs He has done do not provoke faith in them, nor a recognition of what and who He is, although they are the very ones responsible for the spiritual state of the people, for the understanding of Scripture and of Jewish spiritual tradition.  So, we come to this point of conflict in the temple.  It is with great alacrity that we should also make note of the humor here.  Although the issues are deadly serious, and Jesus will pay with His life through their plotting against Him, in point of fact His skill makes light of them.  They entrap themselves in their own words and their own game of seeking to "capture" Jesus in the issue of authority.  They are so sure of themselves and their own authority, and they are so fearful of the people because of their own hypocrisy, that they fall right into His own skillful response to them.  Mark's Gospel tells us that when Jesus responds to the questions of the scribes with His own question teaching about the Son, "the common people heard Him gladly" (see Mark 12:35-37).  John's Gospel tells us that after these authorities send the temple police to arrest Jesus at an earlier Feast of Tabernacles, they return empty-handed.  When they are questioned why they have failed to seize Jesus, all they can reply is, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"  (see John 7:45-52).  Although today we know these stories and understand them, we can only speculate on what a surprising Person and ministry is present in Jesus to the people.  John tells us that at the same Feast of Tabernacles the people were afraid to speak openly because of the religious authorities, although among themselves they debated regarding Jesus (John 7:10-15).  But Jesus nonetheless speaks with His own authority that comes from His own Person, and is not afraid to entrap the religious authorities in their own traps laid for Him, to the delight of the people who listen to disputes.  There is an element of what we might call sarcastic humor involved here, the same flavor of ridicule we might find in Elijah mocking the prophets of Baal when Baal fails to ignite their sacrifice:  "Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened" (see 1 Kings 18:20-40).  For the true God of Israel is not missing from anywhere, is fully capable of working through prophets like Elijah and the one who came in the spirit and power of Elijah, John the Baptist (Luke 1:17), and of appearing in this world as the Incarnate Son who stands before them and whom they seek to challenge.  And here, as the prophets before Christ have spoken through the word of God to them, the Word of God is able to entrap them in their own arguments, and dismiss their questions regarding His authority.  We have to ask questions about ourselves today.  Are we capable of discerning truth amid a tissue of lies and pretensions?  Can we recognize truth although it is clothed in all kinds of hypocrisy and all the skills of modern means of communication and social media of all types?  Let us consider the importance of spiritual truth at the heart of everything, behind the scenes of all that we see and hear and perceive with our earthly senses, giving meaning and form and context and true order behind all things.  For Christ is still there with us, only His love and truth call to us in our hearts.  Are we capable of hearing and responding?  Can we hear Him through His word in the Scripture and its potent echoes today?  Do we hear Him gladly?  How do we respond to those who scoff at our faith?