Mark 11:27 - October 14, 2010

Mark 11:27 “They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. 28 "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you authority to do this?" 29 Jesus replied, "I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 John's baptism-was it from heaven, or from men? Tell me!" 31 They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' 32 But if we say, 'From men' . . . ." (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.) 33 So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."



When the kingdom of God is in you even your presence can stir up trouble!!! Jesus has just arrived in Jerusalem and is simply walking through the temple courts when the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to Him. He wasn’t preaching or performing a miracle but the very reality of His presence was sufficient to stir up the harassment of those who were not submitted to the kingdom of God! These men come to the Lord with probing questions concerning the source of His authority. It seems as if their real implication is, “you didn’t receive your authority from us, so what gives you the right to do what you do!”


Jesus was a consistent source of anxiety for the religious rulers of the day. He came with power they did not possess, wisdom that could not refute, authority that could not comprehend and a message that exposed many of their fallacies and as a result His ministry placed them in a context of tension that led them to consistently try to invalidate Him for the sake of their own position and power. Theirs was not a heart in search of the truth of God, but rather focused on defending what they possessed.


As Jesus walked into this setting on this particular day immediately the leaders begin to seek ways to reduce Him and elevate themselves. Jesus demonstrates such a confident wisdom in His response to them. He is not provoked or anxious as He turns to respond to them. Many people would be so threatened by this public inquiry that their insecurity would hinder a clear and composed response. However, the Lord is composed and His reply thoughtful as He is not drawn into their argument but simply answers their question with another question that exposes the reality that they are not actually searching for an answer, but rather seeking for ways to attack Him.


The wisdom of Jesus in the midst of this public confrontation is truly amazing. In the midst of the crowd gathered not only the words of Jesus but His attitude and emotions were on display for all to see. Had He demonstrated defensiveness, insecurity or fear, great damage would have been done to the people’s respect for Him. He was not drawn into the trap that was set for Him. Instead Jesus turns the confrontation around in one strategic sentence and instead of allowing the religious leaders to place Him on the defensive in front of all these people His one thoughtful question now places them on the defensive.


Verse 31 reveals the tension that Jesus has created for these men because they know the opinion of all of the people that John the Baptist was a prophet of God. Jesus has now turned their trap back upon them because if they acknowledge John then they are condemned for rejecting Him and if they deny him they fear the response of the multitudes who did believe in John. The wisdom of Jesus’ response effectively paralyzes these men and they can only respond with an answer that allows Jesus a very quick and public vindication. Oh that the church would walk in this same wisdom!