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 

 

Yesterday 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?"  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."  The religious leadership in the Temple ask Jesus, "Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things?  Or who is he who gave You this authority?"  My study Bible says that these things refers to Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem as Messiah and the cleansing of the temple (in yesterday's reading, above), as well as His teaching of the people and preaching the gospel (see the first verse of today's reading).  These elders confront Him since it was the duty of the priestly descendants of Levi to manage the Temple.  My study Bible comments that while Christ was descended from Judah (Luke 3:33), yet He is the High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:4), which is a priestly line far greater than that of Levi, for this authority is from God the Father. 

 

 It's important to note, in this beginning of the account of events which happened in Jerusalem during Holy Week, that despite the fact that we know Jesus will go voluntarily to His death (and has told the disciples this three times), Jesus gives His all here in disputing with the religious leaders.  He will not back down from the truth, nor telling the truth.  His decision to accept the will of the Father, His mission of going to the Cross (which He discussed with Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration in chapter 9), does not mean that He is going without a fight.  That is, without His own defense of His gospel and His teaching -- nor even without His criticism of the religious leaders.   As He has said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here" (John 18:36).  But this does not mean there is no spiritual battle going on in which He engages, nor does it mean that He will cease from preaching and defending the truth He is here to bring to the world.  In this context, Jesus shows us yet another example, for while His kingdom may not be "of this world," it certainly is of the truth.  As He has said, He is "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), and while He must go to the Cross, this does not mean that the words spoken in truth do not also come from the Father (John 12:49), that these debates in which He engages the religious leadership -- in front of all the people who listen attentively (per yesterday's reading) -- are not also an essential part of His ministry.   Here, He gives as good as He gets, so to speak -- and this powerful speaking and dogmatic teaching is in no way contradictory to His acceptance of the Cross and voluntary death.  We should not confuse His refusal to do earthly battle with a refusal to speak in vigorous defense of His ministry, and neither should we be confused ourselves between our need for the virtue of humility and the times when we are called to tell the truth, and especially to live the gospel of our faith.  For Christ here is the great example.  He says of Himself that He is gentle and lowly of heart, but the "yoke" He brings to us is one He will exhaust every effort to bring, without reservation or hesitation, with clarity, and with the most remarkably effective speech we know.  In this He is dynamic and powerful, and astonishes all the people, including the leaders, who cannot stop the spread of His gospel -- not even with crucifixion.  So let us not confuse humility with submission to lies and falsehoods, with a denial of our faith, or with reluctance to live our faith.  There will be a time when Jesus will not speak, but that time will come when there is no more to say, when every opportunity for repentance on the part of those who reject Him has been exhausted -- and that is the time of Crucifixion (John 19:8-12).  Above all, His is a saving mission, and we read mistakenly if we do not see His words in this context.  Everything He says is done not in the spirit of self-defense, but a defense of the Kingdom and His ministry, and especially in the effort to save all who listen, before the hour of His Passion.  Let us ponder these mysteries, and the One who does everything to save us, even going to His death as He does.  In today's reading, let us note, Jesus does not leave room for needless fighting and dispute, but responds to their refusal to answer with His own distinctive choice, asserting His authority in His own way:  "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."  Let us learn from Him!