From heaven or human origin

From heaven or human origin

Scripture:

Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. Matthew 21:23-27

Observation:

Sullenly the chief priests and elders looked at Jesus, all the people fixated on the Lord’s every word as He taught them. They were all still very angry over the episode where their friends, the moneychangers and dove merchants had been insulted and chased out of the temple. Then, they rudely began to interrupt the Lord. “By what authority are you doing these things?” one Pharisee challenged him. “And who gave you this authority?” an Elder bellowed. Calmly, the Lord looks away from the crowd and addresses His accusers. “I will also ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do this. John’s baptism – where did it come from? Was it from heaven or of human origin?”

The chief priests discussed the question among themselves and realized they were caught in a Catch-22 situation. If they said “From heaven”, the Lord would ask them “Then why didn’t you believe him?” and if they said “Of human origin”, the crowd would turn against them because they all held that John was a true prophet of God. Unable to answer, they simply said “we don’t know”, and the Lord, true to form, replied “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things”.

In this passage, we are first drawn to the subject of authority. The Lord, just as John did before him, came from God in Heaven. He spoke with all the authority God the Father had given Him. In fact, the Lord spoke or did nothing apart from the will of His Father. When we serve in church or ministry, or wherever we are put in positions of authority or influence, we must realize that this authority comes from our Lord who has given it to us according to His will. Like the Lord, we need to learn not to speak out of human wisdom or our own limited intellect, but rather avail ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit whom God has given us. Therein we will speak out of His authority, His power.

Secondly, we are reminded of John’s baptism and John’s ministry. He baptized the people as a sign of their repentance. In going under the water, they were stating their intention to do away with their old lives, and as they came out of the water, they set out to live new lives for God, starting everything again afresh. John also called them to look out for the Messiah who was coming, who would save them from their sins.  

Finally, this passage also reminds us of depending on the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in our dialogue with others, especially our enemies. The Lord promises us that we are to give no thought what to reply but rather receive what the Holy Spirit gives us to say. The wisdom of Jesus utterly confounded the Pharisees and Elders, who could say nothing. Sometimes, it is right to answer directly. Sometimes, we should answer a question with a question. And sometimes, we don’t need to answer at all. The occasion and timing of our answer are best left to the wisdom of our Holy Spirit, who is with us.

Application:

Remember that when we go out to serve as God’s people, we are His ambassadors, and we go forth in His authority, not our own. Therefore, we do not have to fear those who may go against us, or those who may try to despise and discourage us. Let us be true to our calling and lean on His authority, not ours. The policeman directing traffic raises his hand not on his own authority, but with the full authority of the government. Likewise, that should be our mindset even as we set out to serve the Lord!

Remember John’s call to repentance, that continues even for us today. We are human. We fall, we get distracted, we stumble along the way. However, the Spirit still calls us to come back to repentance, to come back to God and find the right ways,

In our encounters with others, where dialogues sometimes becomes heated, and we may even need to defend our faith, do not fear or worry but seek the answers from the Holy Spirit who is with us, who will teach us what to say. He is our precious Teacher.

Prayer

We praise You and thank You, Lord, for the great things You have done. You have given us authority in Your service, authority over every demon and principality and power, authority even over nature. Help us Lord always remember that it You who give us this authority. We have nothing on our own but only what you give us.

Help us we pray O Lord, draw us back to You again. Let our hearts continue in repentance, in turning to You as our Lord and God. Give us at the right time what we should say. Blessed be Your name O Lord. In Jesus name, Amen