Mark 11:27-33

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

27They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. 28"By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you authority to do this?"

29Jesus replied, "I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30John's baptism—was it from heaven, or from men? Tell me!"

31They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' 32But if we say, 'From men'...." (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)

33So they answered Jesus, "We don't know."

Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."



BACKGROUND READING:


1 Kings 6:11-13; 8:22-66



Dig Deeper

Many years ago I was the commissioner of a high school athletic conference for about six years. I stepped down from that position after six years and handed the reigns over to someone else. At the end of his first year, he had run into some problems organizing everything, so he resigned. The next year someone else had taken over and they were also having problems. They asked me to come back in and help organize and run the playoffs for the conference. During one of the games, the fans were a bit out of control, so I went down on the floor to clear things up. I sent a few people out of the gym, asked others to move, and began to restore order. Because of my absence, though, most of the fans had no idea who I was. The main question on their minds was, "who did I think I was to order people around"?


This is kind of what is happening here. For years, things had been running according to normal tradition under the authority of the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders. Into that, comes this young man who has taken charge of the entire Temple system, and the people are listening to him. Who does this guy think he is? By what authority does he think he has the right do this?


As Mark’s readers, we already know the answer that the chief priests do not. Since David planned the Temple and Solomon built it, the monarchy and the Temple had been closely related in Israel. It was the king who had ultimate authority over the Temple. This is what Jesus is doing here. Mark has already demonstrated that Jesus is the real king of Israel, and now Jesus is doing what true kings do, he is exercising authority over the Temple.


Jesus, of course, won’t say that outright. But what he won’t say in words, he will act out. The authorities get the point of what he is doing, but they don’t understand why he thinks he should be doing that. Jesus, in a very Jewish style, turns their question around on them into another question. He’s not, however, simply firing a tougher question back at them in order to get them to shut up. He is, in a rather coded way, answering the question that they are asking.


In asking them about John’s baptism, he is not only putting them in a difficult situation, he is answering their question about his authority and from where it comes. John had proclaimed Jesus as the One about whom he spoke, the One that would act with power, the One that he then baptized. At his baptism, Jesus was anointed by the Spirit, and the voice had confirmed that he was the true king, God’s beloved Son. He was the long-awaited Messiah for whom Israel had been waiting for over a thousand years. If they had really understood John’s vocation and what had happened at Jesus’ baptism, they would have the answer to their question.


Mark makes it clear, though, that the chief priests were not truly interested in the real answer to his question. They were angry, and they wanted to expose Jesus and save political face. But Jesus does something brilliant here. He not only answers their question in code, he also exposes their faulty logic and unwillingness to take a stand. His question puts them in an untenable situation, one which they finally answer, we don’t know. In doing so, they have let Jesus off the hook for the moment. He has managed to do the very thing they were questioning him about. He has once again demonstrated his authority in the situation, and so he walks away. They would have their day with him, but it would be in Jesus’ way, in Jesus’ time.


The question of Jesus’ authority was really the issue during his entire career. There was never a question over whether he was really doing the things he was doing, the controversy was over who he thought he was. The people had always been impressed by the amount of authority with which he taught (Mark 1:22, 27; 2:10; 3:15). Now he was turning that theoretical authority into realized authority over the highest institution in the land of Israel. This will all come to a head in chapter 14, but this scene in the Temple is the key to this unfolding drama.



Devotional Thought

Jesus gave his followers the authority to complete his mission, and the Spirit to carry it out. Are you being like Jesus in this area of your life? Are you intentionally going straight to the heart of the place or institution in your world that symbolizes people’s separation from God? What are the Temples that need to be challenged and warned? Are you prepared to question and answer the people like Jesus did?