Respecting Authority
Mark 11:27-33
Do people have a right to question the authority of anyone?
Photo by Carlos N. Cuatzo Meza on Unsplash
Again they came to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me.” They argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”-- they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet. So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” - Mark 11:27-33
Of course they do, you would say, and you would be correct. So why does Jesus challenge them when they ask about his authority?
As one whose authority to speak on a topic has been questioned many times, I can say that the first reaction I have when challenged is to get my back up.
Oh, maybe I hesitate for a moment, asking myself if I am confident enough in my position to defend it, but overall, it is an affront to my ego.
So, when Jesus responds the way he does, I cheer him. Why didn’t I think of a response like that, I ask?
He did not accept the challenge, but traded on it. You admit to me that you believe John the Baptist was sent from God, and I will tell you.
Well, how could they do that? Then they would have to admit that Jesus could have been sent by God as well.
Jesus knew that they believed in God’s authority, so the very question they asked him put them in a bind. They wanted him to say that God sent him so they could persecute him.
Odd, isn’t it? Not accepting the authority you profess to believe in.
Oh, but we do that today. We challenge the system when we don’t like the outcome. We even propose an end to the system that grants authority to our leaders.
If I don’t agree with you, I don’t respect you, and I won’t accept you as my leader.
That is the stuff of revolutions. And, in all fairness, we romanticize revolutions. The idea of the rebel rising up against the establishment, seeking freedom for all, is what our country was built on, along with many others.
So, Jesus should have been a hero. He was a rebel, threatening the authority of men who had no real claim to power other than Rome’s acceptance of them.
It is the state of affairs for humans to be independent and free of tyranny. Maybe we need to figure out how to live without leaders, then.
But, when the Jews had only God to guide them, they looked at other people who had kings and demanded that God grant them one.
How well did that work out?
More to come...