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."   My study Bible says that these things refers to Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem as Messiah (see this reading), the cleansing of the temple (see yesterday's reading, above), and His preaching (note the first verse in today's reading).  These elders confront Jesus, my study Bible explains, since it was the duty of the priestly descendants of Levi to manage the temple.  Although Christ was descended from Judah (Luke 3:33) rather than Levi, He is nonetheless the High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:4), a priestly line far greater than that of Levi, for Christ's authority is from the Father. 

 

Christ's great conflict with the religious leaders in the temple is over authority.  He is constantly being asked as to His authority to do what He does.  The same thing can be said when we read of His preaching in the local synagogues in Galilee.  There, it is reported in the Gospels, He astonishes people because He teaches and commands even unclean spirits "with authority" (Luke 4:32, 36), and "not as the scribes" (Matthew 7:29; Mark 1:22).  That is, He speaks, teaches, and commands of Himself, so to speak, and not as the scribes, who would teach by citing, for example, a famous rabbi.  Jesus, as we know, is the Logos Incarnate (John 1:1).  He is the Word, and as the Word and Second Person of the Trinity, He spoke the world into existence (John 1:2-3).  So therefore, when we hear that Christ speaks "with authority" we cannot but hear that this is the Logos speaking; He is the Word Himself, so naturally what flows through His teaching and His ministry has the authority of the Word.  We can't possibly imagine what it must have been like to hear Jesus preach and teach, and to experience His power of commanding the spirits in person.   In the Gospel of St. John we read that, when temple officers were sent to arrest Jesus, they failed to do so.  Upon being questioned by these religious leaders as to why, they answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!" (John 7:45-46).  For the Pharisees and the other religious leaders in the temple, the appeal of Christ among the crowds of pilgrims and disciples who hear Him is confounding.  But Christ's compelling words and language and authority still speaks to us from the pages of the Gospels today.  According to my study Bible, St. John Chrysostom comments on that passage from St. John's Gospel regarding the temple officers who failed to arrest Jesus.  He says that whereas the Pharisees and scribes who had "witnessed the miracles and read the Scriptures derived no benefit" from them, the officers who could claim no learning as such, were "captivated by a single sermon."  When one's mind is open, St. Chrysostom writes, "there is no need for long speeches.  Truth is like that."   And yes, so we witness as well, along with St. Chrysostom, "Truth is like that."  It hits us hard, and deep in the heart, and we, too, hear His words this way today.  For Christ is the Word, He is the Person who is the Truth (John 14:6), and He gives us the truth that is deeper than all other truths we know.  As St. Paul writes, "For 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" (Hebrews 4:12).  This is how the truth of Christ works, and His authority, and we but need the ears to hear it and eyes to see it.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 haven 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 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 haven 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 chief priests, scribes, and elders confront Jesus and ask Him, "Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things?"  My study Bible says that "these things" refers to Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem as Messiah (in Friday's reading), the cleansing of the temple (Saturday's reading, above), and Christ's preaching (see the first verse of today's reading, in which we're told that He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel.  The elders confront Jesus, my study Bible says, since it was the duty of the priestly descendants of Levi to manage the temple.  While Christ was descended from Judah (Luke 3:33), He nevertheless is the High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:4), which is a priestly line far greater than Levi.  The authority in Christ's case is from the Father.

Let us ask ourselves, where does authority come from?  This is an important question, because depending upon whether or not we have faith, our answers will be different.  Does authority come simply from coercive power and might?  A state might have authority simply from its material power.  On the other hand, there are worldly systems of representative democracies, which vary in form and organization, but nonetheless declare their authority to come from the people, the voters.  There are monarchical systems in the world, systems of aristocracy, in which power or authority comes from some sort of aristocratic lineage, and to one degree or another are supported or accepted by the people, the subjects of the country.  We live in a world where there are dictatorships which hold powerful sway over the people through all kinds of coercive means and systems of harsh repression for dissent.  Nonetheless, they also proclaim their authority to lead and to govern, even in the most corrupt circumstances.  So, we might well ask ourselves, in all kinds of situations, where does authority come from?  Whether we are speaking of whole countries, or international organizations, or whether we are speaking of smaller and more intimate groups -- such as within a civic organization or even within a family -- authority remains an important consideration and subject.  For authority to be recognized and assented to it has to come from somewhere, and we have to consider on what basis we believe something to be authoritative.  As far as our faith is concerned, the ultimate authority is from the Father.  We might consider wrong choices, abusive decisions, unjust and exploitative power to be against the teachings of Christ and therefore against what we know and understand of God's will for us.  Constitutions are written which base a sense of guidance on what is generally good for people and society, such as certain freedoms or liberty, or an economic system that works well, a defense against predatory enemies, good governance, and whatever is best for the welfare of the people.  But an ultimate authority remains essential to us, as all human systems remain imperfect, and human problems do not disappear with the authority of ideology or organization, even the blessings of great prosperity or great taxation for social welfare programs.  The problems of injustice remain with us, of imperfect freedoms or the use of our freedom, of criminality, and of the right-relatedness (or righteousness) with one another.  These problems of human societies persist despite well-meant laws, systems, philosophies, courts, and the great efforts of human beings.  But where does ultimate authority come from when we consider these problems, and especially the problems with which Christ concerns Himself as we read the Gospels?  Where does our higher sense of justice or righteousness come from?  That higher authority is God the Father, from whom we have received so much that informs us about what we consider to be just or righteous.  What is compassionate behavior, or a compassionate code of righteousness that governs how we might view our own or others' actions?  Where does the authority come from that helps us to address something that might adhere to the letter of the law, but falls short in terms of what is truly just or fitting?  To what higher authority do we appeal when the works of the state are not just, or are corrupt?  Christ has presented the problem of authority through questions that involved the welfare of human beings.  There was first of all the issue when He and His disciples walked through the fields on a Sabbath, and ate from the heads of grain, and were challenged by some Pharisees on the basis that this was considered work (see Luke 6:1-5).   At that time, Jesus declared, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath," a clear statement of authority.   But Christ's greatest challenge, upon which rests the disputes with the religious leaders that would come later, were over healing on the Sabbath.  In building up a body of teachings around the holiness of the Sabbath, the Pharisees declared healing to be work.  Just after being challenged over taking the grain on the Sabbath, Jesus healed in the synagogue on the Sabbath, which outraged the Pharisees (Luke 6:6-11).  At that time, Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  On the second incident in which He offended them regarding questions of authority, the issue was again healing on the Sabbath.  There was a woman bent over in infirmity who had suffered for eighteen years, and Christ healed her, to the indignation of the ruler of the synagogue.  Jesus answered as follows:  "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?"  (Luke 13:10-17).  In each of these cases the challenge to authority is raised over issues of the well-being of human beings; that is, essentially questions of human life, even its quality of abundance which Christ has promised in Himself (John 10:10).  Jesus calls Himself Lord of the Sabbath as Son of Man, and makes a clear appeal to the higher authority of God on these matters of healing.  This is additionally made explicitly true of the affliction of the woman He healed, as He names that infirmity a bondage from Satan, and so gives it the context of spiritual battle.  Every question of authority appeals back to the Father, and what we know of as declared good through faith, especially through what has been given by the working of the Spirit of God in the world.  How do we understand a higher authority regarding the dignity of human beings, what true well-being and the quality of life for human beings can and should be?  Ideologies claiming to be concerned with righting injustice and economic inequality have been tried and found wanting, and frequently involve tremendous suffering and abuse of worldly power and authority.  Even under the best of circumstances, or the least corrupt government, injustice still happens, strange forms of coercion evolve, well-meaning rules become oppressive and unfair; even what is meant for public health becomes injurious to public welfare.  The desire for control of public discourse becomes all the more important as well.  For all of these imperfections and flaws in our world, we need a higher authority from which is revealed to us a better sense of what love asks for and demands, how truth can function, and how we can reach for what is truly good.  For without this higher authority, where does blessing come from, or justice, or the truth of the value of a soul and a life?  In the Crucifixion of Christ, the power of the greatest empire, and the religious leaders of Israel will combine to show us how even our "best' systems can fail extraordinarily.  This is especially true when we come to consider our potentials for corruption, lies, selfishness, manipulation, and all manner of serving desires we don't want to examine if they interfere with self-serving motivation.  So when we consider authority, we must come back to God.  St. James writes, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James:17).  But even beyond this understanding, that all good and perfect things come from God the Father, we know this to be true, that God is love, as St. John tells us, "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:8).  God is the ultimate authority as love, which teaches us something powerful about how we know what is good, and how we know what is best.  For love wants what is best for us, best for our world, and love -- as God -- is the place where we go to learn what is "better" and "more perfect."  Let us consider the authority we choose to honor, and where the authority we honor takes us in life.  Those who seek to abuse this concept of authority do so with ulterior motives, and therefore Jesus does not answer directly but in a roundabout way.  His method is designed to keep those who would abuse His truth from its grasp, but to allow in those "with ears to hear," who will understand.  To what will we give authority, and the highest honor?

The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?

 

 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."

 

- Mark 11:27-33 

 

Yesterday we read that the next day after Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, when they 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 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 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 you 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."   My study Bible explains that, as Christ is not a Levitical priest, the chief priests, scribes, and elders challenge His authority to cleanse the temple.  As Christ is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers, it says, He confounds them with a different question about John.  Both the elders' question and Christ's question require the same answer, and therefore it would lead a person to confess that Jesus has come from heaven.  By not answering them directly, Christ teaches us not to answer people who come asking about holy things with a malicious intent. 

Today's reading raises the central question of authority.  The chief priests, scribes, and elders demand to know what authority Jesus has to cleanse the temple (see yesterday's reading, above).  He has no "inherited" authority such as the lineage of the Levitical priests.  But Jesus makes a comparison through His own question:  through whom did John the Baptist have authority to preach and to baptize?  John also had no "earthly" authority for what He did.  But Jesus brings in the central question:  Was it from heaven or from men?  In other words, was John the Baptist granted authority in some worldly or earthly way, from a human institution, to do what He did?  Nevertheless, could they say that this authority by which John baptized did not come from heaven?  The religious leaders will not answer His question.  Their fear is more of the people who are present for the Passover feast, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.  So, we must ask ourselves, how did the people count John to be a prophet?  In the stories of the Old Testament prophets, they also were so often individuals who spoke up against the establishment of the powers-that-be, in opposition to the religious authorities in place, and to the "favored" prophets of kings.  How is a prophet recognized?  In a modern world, and throughout Christian history, saints have played similar roles, most often gathering recognition through the laity long before sainthood is officially a declaration of a religious authority.  The role of the prophets was like the one John played, they came to call the people back to God -- recalling God's word and authority when human institutions had strayed from that.  As in the parable of the Wicked Vinedressers which Christ will tell during this Passover feast in Jerusalem in Mark 12:1-12, the prophets are sent by God to call us to the proper fruits of the spirit, to remind us of our proper relationship to God, and especially the religious leadership.  They are sent by the vineyard owner, who is God the Father, who has now sent His Son, Christ.  In this sense is John the Baptist's ministry also "from heaven."  It opens up the question we must all ask ourselves, "What is 'of men,' and what is 'of heaven'?"  How do we know which is which?  How do we know what is saintly and what is not?  How may we discern the ways in which God calls us?  The great question posed here to Christ is one of authority, and yet there have been so many signs of heavenly authority working through Christ already.  Those who ask this question clearly choose not to see that which interferes with their own authority, that which they do not want to see -- as did many leaders before them to the prophets who were sent earlier.  Jesus teaches us also, as my study Bible notes, that we should not respond to people who ask with a vicious intent.  If there is a request by someone who does not in any way want to know the truth, especially a religious or spiritual truth, then one is not under obligation to respond.  Jesus' question regarding John the Baptist exposes the religious authorities' own bad faith; they are unwilling to answer truly because of the multiple mixed motivations here, and the ulterior motives involved.  They are afraid of the people, who count John the Baptist to have been a prophet, but their loyalty is not to God.  Let us turn to Christ in prayer so that we, also, may stand in the truth and find the discernment He asks of us.  For how will we know what is from heaven and what is "from men?"  This is why we place all things in the hands of God, including our own motivations and desires, to find where God would lead us.