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

 

 Then they came again to Jerusalem.  And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.  And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority to do these things?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?  Answer Me."  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'" -- they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.  So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."  

Then He began to speak to them in parables:  "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.  And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the heard, and sent him away shamefully treated.  And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.  Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'  So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do?  He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others.  Have you not even read this Scripture:

'The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone

This was the LORD's doing,

And it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

And they sought to lay hands on Him,  but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them.  So they left Him and went away. 

 

- Mark 11:27—12:12 

 

Yesterday we read that, the next day after His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, when Jesus and the disciples had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.  So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out 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 would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  And the scribes and chief priests hears it and sought how they night destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.  Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you will receive them, an you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

 

  Then they came again to Jerusalem.  And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.  And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority to do these things?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?  Answer Me."  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'" -- they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.  So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."    After the cleansing of the temple (see yesterday's reading, above, in which Jesus drove out those who bought and sold, and overturned the tables of the money changers), the chief priests, scribes, and elders come to Him demanding by what authority He does these things.  Christ is not a Levitical priest, my study Bible explains, and so has authority obvious to the religious leaders.  It explains that, as Christ is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers, He confounds them with a different question about John the Baptist.  Both the elders' question and Jesus' question require the same answer, and so would lead a person to confess that Jesus has come from heaven.  But by not answering them directly, my study Bible says, Christ teaches us not to answer people who come asking about holy things with a malicious intent.

 

 Then He began to speak to them in parables:  "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.  And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the heard, and sent him away shamefully treated.  And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.  Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'  So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do?  He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others."  My study Bible explains that in Jesus' parable, the man represents God the Father, and the vineyard is a reference to God's people.  The vinedressers are the leaders of the Jews who are entrusted to care for the people.  Every servant which is sent by the owner stands for an Old Testament prophet, who comes to call the people back to God.  The son, of course, is Christ Himself.  When the Son is cast out of the vineyard and killed, we are to understand it on two levels.  First, Jesus was killed outside of Jerusalem (the site of Golgotha was outside of the old walls of the city); and second, that Jesus was crucified by foreign soldiers, and not by those of His own vineyard.  The others who later receives the vineyard are the Gentiles brought into the Church. 

 

"Have you not even read this Scripture: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them.  So they left Him and went away.   Jesus quotes from Psalm 118:22-23, indicating that He is the fulfillment of this Scripture.  The stone is Christ, who has become the chief cornerstone of the Church, in which believers are the living stones.

 

What does it mean to us that Christ is our chief cornerstone?  It means that He is the foundation, and the guiding rule, for all that is to come in the Church, as it is built up through time.  He is the one upon whom we rest, and upon whom we must base all that we do, our way of thinking, our understanding of our faith, and ultimately of God.  He is the one who frames all of our spiritual reality and understanding.  In today's daily reading is also included verses from St. Paul's first letter to Timothy, in which he describes the Church as "the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."  The "pillar" and "ground" are connected in the chief cornerstone, the one that defines the whole of the building and sets forth its foundation upon which to build.  What we find in this imagery is Christ's unequivocal statement about the reality of who He is.  He has conducted His three-year public ministry while most of the time guarding the secret of His messianic identity, His true status.  But now He has made the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, and once He is face to face with the religious leaders who bitterly oppose His popularity (just as they no doubt feared John the Baptist), and now question His authority, He does not mince words.  He does not shrink back from declaring Himself, but is instead quite open and completely transparent in His declarations about Himself.  For now it is time for this revelation and even the confrontation which ensues, leading to the Cross, and to His subsequent Resurrection.  This is His "hour," and He does not shrink back from it, but fully engages in the truth He must present in the temple at Jerusalem.  He has come to this place specifically for this engagement and what will follow.  Perhaps today is a good day to consider His courage in doing so, for He clearly knows what He is doing -- and judging from the parable, He knows where He is headed in so doing.  Let us learn from Him:  there are times to speak and tell our truth, and there are times when it's prudent not to do so (as in Christ's refusal to justify Himself when questioned about His authority).  But note that even when Christ is refusing to justify His authority, He still speaks with authority nevertheless.  Everything must be guided by God, and so we seek discernment in all things.  This is Christ's "hour" -- not before, not later.  Let us also be guided by God and serving the purpose we're given in our own lives, seeking through prayer to find Christ's way for us. 

 

 

 

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 and 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 if 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; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."

 

- Matthew 21:23-32 

 

Yesterday we read that, after Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem,  He 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 a 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 as Christ is not a Levitical priest, and therefore has no formal institutional authority in the temple, the chief priests and the elders challenge His authority to cleanse the temple.  Jesus is careful not to reveal His Messianic identity to scoffers, and so He confounds them with a different question with John.  Both the elders' question and Christ's question back to them require the same answer, and therefore would lead a person to confess that Jesus has come from heaven.  By not answering them directly, my study Bible notes, Christ 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 and 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 if 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; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."   My study Bible notes that using their own principles, the elders convict themselves in their answer to Christ's parable.  

So, once again we come to the question of authority.  This question of what is authority, or who is authoritative, continues to come up in Christ's ministry.  It is a question that most concerns the religious authorities, for as far as they are concerned the administration and regulation of the practices of the temple and of the faith belong to them.  It is in this context that Jesus asks them the question, regarding John the Baptist and his ministry:  "The baptism of John -- where was it from?  From heaven or from men?"  John the Baptist was during his lifetime considered a holy man and greatly revered among the population.  We remember that John died while he was imprisoned in Herod Antipas' palace, as Herod's wife wanted him beheaded.  John the Baptist had criticized their marriage as unlawful.  John's widespread reputation for holiness was such that his opinion meant a great deal to the common people; hence Herod's imprisonment of John and his wife, Herodias', desire to have John beheaded.  In the context of Jesus' time and place, authority is indeed significant, or perhaps we might say it is everything.  The rulers in the temple hold their places because they hold authority according to the law and practices established by Moses and subsequent tradition.  Herod holds his place because of the authority given by Rome, just as Pilate does.  So the question of authority becomes one that invests every decision, and seemingly every turn of Christ's ministry.  Christ is even rejected in His hometown of Nazareth because the neighbors believe they already "know" Him and are both astonished and indignant that He suddenly has knowledge and speaks with an authority they themselves do not acknowledge.  For some reason, this is the place we continually find as a stumbling block in the Gospels.  Where is Jesus' authority?  Where does it come from?   In Luke's Gospel, the people express their astonishment at a kind of authority that comes seemingly out of nowhere:  "For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out" (Luke 4:36), and let us not forget that it is, indeed, a type of authority Jesus wields that commands the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.  Right in the beginning of Christ's ministry at Capernaum, Mark tells us that the people "were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (Mark 1:22).  Jesus speaks on His own authority, not quoting from a famous rabbi or a historical opinion, as do the scribes.  The unclean spirits periodically cry out to Jesus, indicating a recognition of status and authority and power:  "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!" (Mark 1:24).  So much so, that He commands them not to speak, so as not to reveal His identity.  In today's reading, it is those in leadership who wish to silence and be rid of Him who demand to know by what authority He cleansed the temple, and who exactly gave Him that authority.  But neither will He reveal His identity directly to them; and instead, He asks them about the authority of John, which they are afraid to answer.  We're left to ponder that truth works with authority despite the fact that there are those who vehemently do not wish to recognize it as such.  Truth has its own way of acting and playing itself out, working its way among us -- and we might say this is because truth itself, particularly where justice is concerned, is rooted in spiritual reality.  Jesus tells us, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6)  affirming this for us.  If Truth is therefore a Person -- and a divine Person -- then how are we to think of it?  We must consider that truth is a more powerful concept than we can understand on purely material or worldly terms.  And therein we come to the question of authority.  When worldly institutions or powers do not affirm the authority of truth, then how do we turn to that truth?  How can we recognize Christ's authority?  The popular recognition of St. John the Baptist as a holy person is something that informs us today regarding sainthood in the Church.  Saints are not saints because they are declared so, but first are in some sense organically understood as the effects of their lives are felt in the lives and communities of those around themselves.  As such, the people recognize John, and so these religious authorities fear to answer Jesus' question.  When Jesus will warn of false prophets to come, He speaks of a dynamic that also teaches us about recognizing saints, "By their fruits you will know them" (Matthew 7:15-20).  So that we may ponder this question of authority, this demand to know by what authority Christ heals, or cleanses the temple, or does any of the things we've read about in His ministry, let us consider what the fruits of that ministry tell us of His authority.  What would they communicate to you?  And how is it that these religious leaders cannot perceive the authority behind His ministry?  How is it that these men, experts in the Scripture and the history of Judaism, do not know that authority themselves?   Christ's answer, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things," would seem to speak to that failure.

 

 

Tell us, 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 

On Saturday we read that as He 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 leadership in the temple ask Christ about His authority to do these things; these things, says my study bible, refers to Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem as Messiah (19:35-38), the cleansing of the temple (19:45), and His preaching in the temple here in verse 1 of today's reading.  The elders are confronting Jesus since it was the duty of the priestly descendants of Levi to manage the temple.  Christ is descended from Judah (3:33), but He is the High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:4).  "The order of Melchizedek" is a priestly line far greater than that of Levi, for His authority is from the Father.

How does Jesus refute the challenge from those who question Him about His authority?  It's quite interesting to "watch" Him, as we do in the Gospels, as He refutes arguments and answers back with what were undoubtedly witty retorts and strong criticisms.  We should keep in mind that none of this is happening behind closed doors, so to speak.  What we're frequently reminded of in the Gospels is that the people listen to Him with a sort of a thrill and rapt attention.  And so we see in today's reading, that Jesus' answer to the leadership happens in front of the people to Jesus' advantage -- it's something He uses in His arguments.  The leadership fears the opinions of the people over whom they rule in all religious and, of course, that includes social matters.  John the Baptist was a towering figure in his time.  He was widely regarded as a holy man, fully dedicated to the God of Israel and to the spiritual heritage of Israel, speaking out against violations of the Law by its corrupt rulers (namely Herod Antipas), finally being beheaded in prison at the request of Herod's wife.  So John, considered by Christians to be greatest in the long line of prophets of the Old Testament tradition, is a sort of popular spiritual hero of his own time.  Jesus' question about authority that comes back to challenge the leadership of the temple is given with this image in the people's eyes in mind.  Where did the authority of John come from?  Who gave it to him?  As we can see, they are afraid of the people and therefore cannot answer Christ.  Their cowardice is rather plain; although they are not necessarily one of "the people," their opinion on John the Baptist isn't very clear either from this passage.  Perhaps, indeed, they failed to recognize any authority in John as well.  Jesus has already lamented over Jerusalem as "the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her" (see Luke 13:34-35).  He calls the leadership the "sons of those who murdered the prophets" and says to them, "fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt" (see Matthew 23:29-32).  This is the time of confrontation, in the week before His human death.  It's the time for open and plain speaking in front of the people, and He's not afraid to use the words that are true and plain-spoken, nor the understanding for the benefit of the people of what is really at play here.  Whose authority does He have?  Whose authority do they represent?  Which authority do they recognize?  By what authority do prophets prophesy, and on whose authority was John the Baptist a prophet?  All of these questions are relevant and important to our faith, to how our religious institutions function, to what they recognize today at work in our own lives.  Let us consider His character and His truth and the gist of His mission.  What is He asking of us, as He invites the crowds to participate by listening to this dialogue and witnessing His own mission of faith?   What authority is speaking?

This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours

 Then they came again to Jerusalem.  And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.  And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority to do these things?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?  Answer Me."  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'" -- they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.  So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

Then He began to speak to them in parables:  "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.  And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.  And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.  Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'  So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do?  He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others.  Have you not even read this Scripture:

'The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the LORD's doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them.  So they left Him and went away.

- Mark 11:27-12:12

In yesterday's reading, we read that the next day after Jesus' Triumphal Entry, when they had come out from Bethany, Jesus was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.   When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.  So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out 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 would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.    Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you will receive them, and you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive yo your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your father in heaven forgiven your trespasses."

 Then they came again to Jerusalem.  And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.  Here, my study bible tells us:  "In the opinion of the official leaders of Israel, Jesus has trespassed on their territory.  If He is allowed to remain, they are totally discredited.  The stage is set after the cleansing of the temple [see yesterday's reading]:  they must destroy Him."

 And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority to do these things?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?  Answer Me."  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'" -- they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.  So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."   A note in my study bible says, "Answering the angry opposition's questions is often not wise.  Their question By what authority are You doing these things? is logical, for Jesus' acts are messianic.  And there is an answer:  the authority is that of Himself and His Father.  But, knowing they seek to entrap Him, He will not say so.  He leaves them with their question unanswered, and a confusion over His question.  Those who claim to have the answers are left admitting their ignorance."

Then He began to speak to them in parables:  "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country."  My study bible has several notations regarding this parable.  Here, it tells us:  "In this parable, the vineyard is Israel, the vinedressers are the Jewish leaders.  It is plainly told against the chief priests, the elders and the scribes -- and in the presence of the multitude."   Jesus, through the cleansing of the temple (in yesterday's reading), initiated confrontation in His final appearance in the flesh here in Jerusalem, initiating Holy Week.  As we can see from my study bible's note on Jesus' refusal to answer their question, it is on His terms.  Here He uses His oratory skills to further His position, before everybody.

"Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers."  My study bible points out that in the Eastern (Orthodox) Church, the services of Holy Week stress the theme of fruit-bearing (again, see yesterday's reading and the symbolism of the fig tree).  It says, "Jesus has recently focused on fruit-bearing in the fig tree incident.  John reports more conversation of Jesus at this time on fruit-bearing (John 15:1-8) -- the vine and the branches.  The bearing of fruit is the mark of vital spiritual life."

 "And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.  And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.  Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'  So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do?  He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others.  Have you not even read this Scripture:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"  And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them.  So they left Him and went away.    A note here tells us:  "With this parable, Jesus totally discredits the religious leaders of Israel and establishes Himself as Messiah.  The religious leaders plainly understand Jesus' criticism and would have Him arrested, but they feared the multitude and a possible insurrection.  The leaders in Jerusalem were often viewed by the people as collaborators with the Romans, seeking to maintain their positions.  Therefore the people tended to favor popular charismatic figures such as Jesus."

Let's focus on what it means to be spiritually fruit-bearing, because it does have such a strong importance here.  Against the backdrop of Jesus' final entry into Jerusalem (John's Gospel suggests several visits to Jerusalem during religious festivals throughout His ministry), there looms a strong suggestion of judgment, and fruit-bearing is directly related to that, especially as we can see in this parable.  God's patience is represented by the repeated attempts of the vineyard owner to collect his due, by sending servant after servant, all of whom are "shamefully treated," and then finally his son.  The vinedressers have a lease -- not all of the harvest or vintage goes to the owner, only a just portion.  The vinedressers are free to share in those fruits themselves as part of the lease agreement here.  So, it's a question of sheer greed or selfishness that plays the role here in the abusive and abhorrent treatment of the servants of the owner.  It's the idea of entitlement and an unwillingness to acknowledge what is truly just here that is at work.  The vinedressers refuse to recognize the right of the owner, and they wish to take everything for themselves.  So much so, that they are willing to engage in violence and murder to prevent the owner's just due from being taken away.  In the parable, we can see the perspective of the owner:  not only patient, but repeatedly trusting, and trusting also in the "natural" respect the vinedressers should have for his son.  But greed and a kind of entitlement take over again in the final scenario.  Not only do they murder the son, but they do so in the belief that this is the way that they can get their hands on the whole property, and make it their own, when it is no such thing.  Following Jesus' parable, then, we can assume a few things about bearing spiritual fruit.  It comes first with a healthy respect for the "owner" of this world, this place we inhabit and in whose fruitfulness we share.  When we deny that, we begin to go upon the wrong path.  We leave a sense of gratitude about life and drift into a place where we're not just entitled to share in the harvest, but to own and control and exploit the whole thing.  An entire sense of right and wrong begins to wear away, to the point where it's greed and selfishness that we serve, so that "anything goes" as long as something is in the way of that goal.  Jesus tells the parable against the religious leadership, who feel they own this temple, they are the sole authorities, they have control.  But we can also see the analogy of a skewed sense of right and wrong as it applies to human selfish behavior all around us.  You don't really need a degree in the history of this world to understand what you can see and observe with your own eyes, and experience all around you.  But because this parable is about the religious leadership, it puts us into a place where really, "anything goes," because our faith in God and our worship is really supposed to be all about this kind of fruit-bearing, this sharing in the vineyard of the God who owns it, and we are only stewards.  Spiritual fruits also belong to everybody, and a harvest of this type is not made for certain individuals to have or control, but is freely given to all -- to all who would share in "ownership" or inheritance as children by adoption.  This is the way Christ taught and lived His ministry, the way we've been handed the Gospels as fruits of that ministry, of the Father who sent the Son.  And the Spirit, we know, is everywhere.  Christ is on a mission, as Son of this Owner, and His mission is to free us all to receive the goodness of the fruits, and to produce fruits ourselves as we are taught by Him.  This image of freedom and liberation is contrasted with the need for total control by the vinedressers in the parable.  And it's a key psychological insight to what it is to truly bear fruit.  We don't have to look to this story of what happened 2,000 years ago to know that this parable applies today to this world, and here and now.  When we catch ourselves feeling ownership of spiritual truth, we have to remember Who the real owner is.  Everything goes back to this first "right-relatedness" which is the root of righteousness.  When we forget where we are in this cosmic scheme of things, we don't really stand a chance of bearing the kind of fruits He asks for.  We forget all about the kind of life He calls us to.  So, we go back again, in today's reading, to the fruits of the Spirit as reported by St. Paul:  "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).   When we forget who the real Owner is, we lose our goal of bearing such fruit.  We're free to be given over to the things that enslave the world and bind us in the life of the one who would be "the ruler of this world."  Let us remember that in Mark's Gospel, Jesus comes as Liberator, the One who will give His life as a ransom for many.  We could set this parable anywhere, anytime, any place.  But let us remember most of all what we who claim to worship Him are called to bear, and what we are to stay away from.  Jesus confronts the religious authorities here in Jerusalem on this basis, after cleansing the temple in yesterday's reading.  Are we ready for the owner's return?  How do we really recognize His authority?

Who gave you this authority?

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 and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went. Then likewise 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

In yesterday's reading, we reviewed Jesus' first acts of cleansing and healing in the temple after he came into Jerusalem, in what is called his "Triumphal Entry." At that time, he was questioned by the authorities in the temple, as they were outraged by the people who greeted Jesus in the temple calling him "Son of David." We also read of the withering of the fig tree, as a symbol of the rejection of the leadership - the failure to recognize what was in their midst and to produce the "spiritual fruits" Jesus seeks. These are the fruits of faith. Today's reading expands on the themes of yesterday's, as Jesus once again is in confrontation with the leadership in the temple.

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?" My study bible notes here: "Since the chief priests and the elders cannot object to Jesus' miracles, they bring charges against him for his chastisement of the tradesmen in the temple. Since he is not a Levitical priest and does not have the schooling normally required of a rabbi, Jesus is asked about his authority to cleanse the temple." One thing that has characterized Jesus' ministry is this compelling power of faith that meets him in an immediate sense - that answers to his persona, to the authority conveyed by the Person that he is. He has no customary credentials that others can look to in order to certify that he has authority to teach. In some sense, all of the encounters of faith that Jesus commands come by response to his Person - to what he is and who he is. He cannot point to a famous rabbinical teacher with whom he has studied, as do other teachers or scribes, for example. And the questions that have come to him, such as when he was rejected in his home country, reflect this same concern. The leadership in the temple, of course, have their own fears connected with his authority and his ministry.

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 has a note that reads, "Because they are motivated by unbelief and hostility, Jesus does not answer, but confounds his adversaries with a question of his own." What I like about this passage is Jesus' complete devotion to his own ministry and understanding of what is happening. He doesn't mince words and he doesn't waste his time. Neither does he give away his own authority in the slightest. He understands their motives, he sees right through them. They don't want an honest discussion; rather they are trying to trap him with questions about authority. So, he simply replies by asking a question of his own that illustrates what their "trap" is missing: whose authority was that of John the Baptist? He knows that in front of the crowds, they will say nothing - and he does not give them room to maneuver out of their own fear and hypocrisy. He makes fools of them through his own wit and intelligence, and he doesn't give an inch when it comes to the importance of faith and authority.

"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 and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went. Then likewise 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." My study bible says that "He mentions the tax collectors and harlots, presumed to be great sinners, to jolt his hearers into obedience." So Jesus gives us a rather shocking contrast for the benefit of the ones who have put to him this question: he compares the leadership of the temple to the tax collectors and harlots - and the presumed sinners come out better than they do. The "sinners" have the capacity to repent, to listen to what John had to say. And even though the leaders' wavering answer to the previous question reflects the respect they understand is due to John, they still did not embrace John's ministry. This is an example of the failure to repent, to "change one's mind" (which is the meaning of the Greek word for repent, "metanoia"). We must be willing to "relent" (as Jesus says they should have done), to call ourselves into question, to change when change is necessary, otherwise we fail to do our spiritual duty when faith calls us forward in new ways. My study bible notes that another translation for the word used as "relent" is also to "regret it." The Greek root is similar to the word for "repent" but includes a note of regret or remorse.

I think it's important that we understand the purpose of authority and what it means given the events and teachings in this passage. What is authority for? This book - the gospel of Jesus' ministry - teaches us so much about what authority is and how it compels us to faith. Authority is not the stuff of stern punishments and rules. It is not something that comes with compulsion or force or manipulation. Authority, in these texts, comes from righteousness. It comes from truth. And its characteristic is love - its instrument is mercy. Do we repent when we learn something better? when something holy is in our midst that may challenge all our way of doing things, our set assumptions about how to operate? Authority - of the deepest sort - is that which commands our faith, and asks us to go forward. It will always, to my mind, tell us to go forward in closer and deeper relationship to the Father, because behind that greater authority is love, the love that calls us home to this place of loving relationship to Creator. Mercy is the means wherein this is achieved. All we have to do is recognize it and respond. So, where is our sense of authority? In what do we put our faith? And how do we respond with faith when we are challenged? Jesus teaches us about the authority of Personhood - the authentic reality that he is. He also teaches us about the righteousness of John the Baptist, and the leadership's failure to properly respond to that. So, they are taught by Jesus within his own sense of authority, which is greater than theirs. Elsewhere we are told that the common people delighted in his verbal trouncing of his adversaries, especially when they could not respond to him. Let us think today about authority, and what righteousness and its power conveys to us about authority - and the love that characterizes its strength, and calls us home toward its foundation. This is the leadership we need, in every situation.