Authorities in Conflict
Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you this authority?" Jesus replies, "I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John's baptism--where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?" Matt. 21:23-25, NIV.
Jesus challenged the authority of the Jewish leaders in His cleansing of the Temple. Now they confront Him.
We need to note what they did not question. For one thing, they didn't dispute the facts that He had authority or that He had been doing authoritative things. He had certainly demonstrated that in the Temple cleansing. A second thing that the delegation from the Sanhedrin did not contest was the righteousness of Jesus in cleansing the Temple. They knew that they had allowed things in the Temple courts that were wrong.
On the other hand, they couldn't ignore what Jesus had done. After all, He had acted as if He were Lord of the Temple and had a right to do what He did. In that, He was usurping their prerogatives. Thus they had reasons to confront Him. No one could deny them the right to question Him on the source of His authority in His Temple-cleansing actions. But it had a hook in it. As William Barclay points out, "They hoped to put Jesus into a dilemma. If He said He was acting under His own authority they might well arrest Him as a megalomaniac before He did any further damage." Yet "if He said He was acting on the authority of God they might well arrest Him on an obvious charge of blasphemy."
Jesus was quite aware of the trap. His response would put them into a dilemma that was even worse. His counter question regarding the authority of John the Baptist was a stroke of genius. They couldn't answer that the Baptist's authority was from God because he had pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God. Yet they couldn't say that his authority came from men because the people held that John was a prophet.
The stark alternatives left them with "we don't know" as the only possible answer. Jesus retorted that their refusal to answer His question gave Him the right to ignore theirs (see Matt. 21:27, NIV).
As Christians we can learn much from the way that Jesus handled controversy. We need to keep both eyes open to His inspired strategy as He continues to journey to the cross.
Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you this authority?" Jesus replies, "I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John's baptism--where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?" Matt. 21:23-25, NIV.
Jesus challenged the authority of the Jewish leaders in His cleansing of the Temple. Now they confront Him.
We need to note what they did not question. For one thing, they didn't dispute the facts that He had authority or that He had been doing authoritative things. He had certainly demonstrated that in the Temple cleansing. A second thing that the delegation from the Sanhedrin did not contest was the righteousness of Jesus in cleansing the Temple. They knew that they had allowed things in the Temple courts that were wrong.
On the other hand, they couldn't ignore what Jesus had done. After all, He had acted as if He were Lord of the Temple and had a right to do what He did. In that, He was usurping their prerogatives. Thus they had reasons to confront Him. No one could deny them the right to question Him on the source of His authority in His Temple-cleansing actions. But it had a hook in it. As William Barclay points out, "They hoped to put Jesus into a dilemma. If He said He was acting under His own authority they might well arrest Him as a megalomaniac before He did any further damage." Yet "if He said He was acting on the authority of God they might well arrest Him on an obvious charge of blasphemy."
Jesus was quite aware of the trap. His response would put them into a dilemma that was even worse. His counter question regarding the authority of John the Baptist was a stroke of genius. They couldn't answer that the Baptist's authority was from God because he had pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God. Yet they couldn't say that his authority came from men because the people held that John was a prophet.
The stark alternatives left them with "we don't know" as the only possible answer. Jesus retorted that their refusal to answer His question gave Him the right to ignore theirs (see Matt. 21:27, NIV).
As Christians we can learn much from the way that Jesus handled controversy. We need to keep both eyes open to His inspired strategy as He continues to journey to the cross.
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