by what authority?

…and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?

Mark 11:28

Jesus did not need to answer these questions, and indeed, He did not do so (Mark 11:31). The heads of the Jewish religious system came to Jesus in the temple to confront Him with these questions. THEY were the authorities, at least according to formal Judaism in Jesus’ day. THEY were chief priests (charged with all temple and atonement duties), scribes (charged with maintaining and keeping the Law and its interpretation), and elders (charged with administration, as well as judicial and leadership decisions). THEY were challenging Jesus because His authority was self-evident and a threat to them. He healed by word and touch. He cast out demons. He commanded the heavens. He fed the masses. He taught with authority without consulting them. He took charge of the temple courtyards. He claimed divine power. He forgave sinners. THEY knew all this and still they pushed against Jesus and His clear authority.

Jesus shows His authority, never holding anything back in the gospels. Read through the gospel of Mark. It’s everywhere in rapid-fire narrative. It’s direct and to the point. It’s decisive. It’s powerful. It was ludicrous of the Jewish leaders to ask these questions. They wanted an answer in order to formally establish blasphemy and heresy. Jesus knew that. So He masterfully flipped the script.

Jesus turned them to consider the authority of His predecessor, John the Baptist. He asked them in the presence of temple crowds to explain John’s ministry: Was his baptism from heaven or from man? And they knew in that moment that they were caught. To say it was from heaven was to invite Jesus to point out their own flawed system because they rejected John and Jesus, and thus God Himself. If they dismissed John’s work as merely human, they would enrage the crowds who had flocked to John just like they now flocked to Jesus and this would damage their control over the people. Stuck in the vise of Jesus’ penetrating spiritual logic, they refused to answer Him, walking away stumped by the smartest man Who ever lived!

Jesus,

I know Your authority. You are Lord. You are God. You are King. You are Wisdom personified. You are Strength and Power. I submit to You and Your authority with joy!

Amen