Jump Start # 207

Mark 11:29-30 “And Jesus said to them, ‘I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. ‘Was the baptism of John from Heaven , or from men? Answer me.’”

 Our passage for today takes place near the end of Jesus’ ministry. The tide of popularity was turning. Curiosity had been replaced with rage. More and more, especially of the Jewish hierarchy, were becoming disgusted with Jesus. He continued to heal on the Sabbath day. He turned tables over in the Temple. He forgave sins. He went to the home of tax collectors. They had it with Jesus.

 Matthew tells us that the setting for our passage takes place in the Temple. The chief priests demanded to know by what authority Jesus was doing these things and who gave Him that authority. They pressed Jesus for these answers. Authority—it is the right or permission to do something. Society unravels without a sense of order and authority. Can you imagine driving down the highway with every driver doing whatever he wanted to do? Some would be driving way too fast. Some would be driving on the wrong side of the road. Some would not stop when the light turned red. It reminds me of what the streets of India are like—chaos. Authority. When you are at the airport, those in authority have the permission or the right to inspect your luggage. Why do they do this? They have the authority and it was given to them by the Federal Government.

  The Jewish leaders were wanting to know who gave Jesus the permission to do what He was doing. Religious authority—that is one area that many don’t think about. In many circles it is believed that churches are a democracy and whatever the will of the congregation is, that’s what goes. So if a church wants to sell donkey rides it can. If a church wants to run movies it can, as long as the congregation is ok with it. It is fair to ask, “By what authority are you doing these things and who gave you that authority?” Try that one on your preacher sometime and see what he says!

  In a classic Jesus moment, the Lord answered their questions with a question. I will ask you a question, He said. Answer My question and I will answer yours. He had them. He knew they wouldn’t answer. His question, is THE question. He asked about the baptism of John the Baptist. His authority, was it from Heaven or men? The following verses shows the dilemma Jesus put them in. If they said “Heaven,” which meant, John was fulfilling the will of God, then they were in trouble for rejecting him. If they said, as they truly felt, from men, then the crowds would riot against them because they felt John was a prophet. They didn’t answer. What cowards!

  You can put just about anything a church does into that question—”Is it from Heaven or is it from men?” If it is from Heaven, then the Bible proves it by commands and examples. If it is from men, you won’t read anything close to it in the Bible. Heaven or men? That’s what it comes down to. Are we following the Bible, or the wishes of men? Are we doing what God said or what men say? Can you answer that? You better! It’s your right to know. Don’t fall for the slick line that says, “look at all the good we are doing…” that dodges the question. Is it from Heaven or from men? Is it in the Bible or not?

  Jesus’ question wasn’t tough – they just didn’t want to answer. We must ask ourselves, will we answer that question or will we do what those Jewish priests did?

Roger