Matthew 21:23-27 - Jesus has the authority

For years the authority of the Temple belonged to the high priest. The only person who would have a higher authority would be the Messiah, the God anointed King, when He arrived at the scene. But nobody knew when He would appear. In the meantime, many would-be messiahs had come and gone. And when Jesus came, He walked into the holy place that had been ruled by the Temple hierarchy for the longest time, and did what He did, they were upset. So obviously they would question Him on His right to that action. They asked “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” Of course, the real question they wanted to ask was, “Do you think you are the Messiah?” For only the Messiah would have the authority and audacity to do what Jesus just did – cleansed the Temple.

 

Jesus responded by raising a question concerning the authority of John the Baptist. In so doing He had them checkmate. Whichever way they would answer would get them into trouble. What conclusion they had concerning John’s authority would give them the clue to Jesus’ answer. Through John’s baptism, God had already indicated that Jesus is the Messiah. God had anointed Him by the Holy Spirit and even proclaimed that Jesus is His beloved Son, the Messiah. If the chief priests and elders had been following John’s ministry, they would know where Jesus’s authority came from.

It is clear that the chief priests and elders knew that they were in a dilemma. They surmised that if they said, "It was from God," the Lord would ask, "Why then didn't you accept him?" And if they said, "It was from men," the people watching the conversation would be very displeased, for bystanders held the Baptist in high regards. So they billed out and said to Jesus, "We do not know." So Jesus told them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” In their answers, they had revealed the reality that they didn’t really care to know the truth. They were there only to serve their own interests.

 

God will make known His truth so that we can collaborate with Him to fulfil His plan and purpose. We need to identify what He is saying to us and then get on with it. Do not walk into the traps of our own making by raising needless questions. Let’s just submit to His authority!