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- Oct 26, 2007
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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?" Mark 11:27-28
There's been a bumper sticker around for years that says: "Question Authority." It's most often interpreted in a radical, anti-establishment sense. While verifying human authority for its validity may be a good practice, it's a different matter when questioning the authority of Christ.
The day before the Jewish leaders approached Jesus to question His authority, He had disrupted their religious system by driving dishonest merchants out from the temple. The leaders demanded answers since they were the ones profiting from the corrupt system. They believed they had authority and that Jesus was the disrupter when in fact, it was the other way around. If the temple was God's house, then His Son had every right to kick people out.
Authority doesn't just grant privilege--it requires accountability. The Jewish leaders embraced privilege but rejected accountability. Jesus addressed their hypocrisy, but, of course, they chose to reject the Messiah's rebuke.
While you can see the Pharisees' obvious mistake, is there anything you're trusting in that Jesus might like to overrule? Is there anything you're insisting that's your "right" that He may disagree with?
Prayer: Jesus, may Your authority always have the final say in my life.
There's been a bumper sticker around for years that says: "Question Authority." It's most often interpreted in a radical, anti-establishment sense. While verifying human authority for its validity may be a good practice, it's a different matter when questioning the authority of Christ.
The day before the Jewish leaders approached Jesus to question His authority, He had disrupted their religious system by driving dishonest merchants out from the temple. The leaders demanded answers since they were the ones profiting from the corrupt system. They believed they had authority and that Jesus was the disrupter when in fact, it was the other way around. If the temple was God's house, then His Son had every right to kick people out.
Authority doesn't just grant privilege--it requires accountability. The Jewish leaders embraced privilege but rejected accountability. Jesus addressed their hypocrisy, but, of course, they chose to reject the Messiah's rebuke.
While you can see the Pharisees' obvious mistake, is there anything you're trusting in that Jesus might like to overrule? Is there anything you're insisting that's your "right" that He may disagree with?
Prayer: Jesus, may Your authority always have the final say in my life.
