“Authority in Question”

Matthew 21:23-32

September 25, 2005

As of late, we have heard about the importance of having the right credentials. Stories abound about good and well-intentioned people heading down to the Gulf Coast to help in the recovery efforts only to be turned away because they lacked the necessary credentials, the necessary authority to carry out their work. Having the right credentials demonstrates to others that we are working under the authority of someone else, that we have permission to do certain things or be in certain places. Driver licenses, ordination certificates, passports, identification badges, are just a few of all the different forms of credentials that give one authority. Even experience, knowledge about a particular subject, and training are also forms of credentials which tells others that we are qualified, that we have been approved to act or speak under the authority of a higher entity. Having the right credentials, the right authority validates our identity, and declares that we are in fact who we say we are.

One of the issues that continues to surface over and over again in the Gospels is the question about Jesus’ identity, whether or not he has the right credentials, whether or not he is acting and speaking as one with authority, whether or not he is who he says he is. One could even make the case that the Gospels as a whole is a kind of legal brief presenting evidence about the person of Jesus Christ. Although the Gospels are very clear about who Jesus is and who he is not, they paint for us a picture using dialogue and narrative and then leave it to the reader to make the final determination about what we have seen and heard through the stories written about Jesus.

The question over Jesus’ identity, over his authority, is a question all of us must answer because it is critical to our understanding and conviction about the very nature and work of Jesus Christ. Numerous times Jesus refers to himself as “I AM” calling to mind the very name of God given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Numerous times Jesus taught as one with authority, and revealed his authority by eating with outcasts and sinners, healing the sick and the lame, forgiving sins, subduing the forces of nature, and even raising people from the dead.

Not only does Jesus make shocking claims about his identity and his authority, but so do others. When Jesus asked the all important question to his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” and Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus was not shocked nor rebuked him. In fact, Jesus commended him. And yet, in spite of all the evidence from Jesus’ life and ministry, death and resurrection, Jesus’ authority still remains in question, he is still asked to present his credentials and prove his qualifications, even to the people who should know better.

Our text for this morning presents us with story of one of those times when Jesus’ authority is questioned. Just the day before Jesus had entered the temple and drove out, literally exorcised, all who were selling and buying in the temple, overturning the tables, and causing a big scene. Now Jesus enters the temple again and begins to teach, but his previous actions have not gone unnoticed. The chief priests and the elders of the people come to him, no doubt seething with rage, and say, “By what authority are you doing these things.” “Who gave you this authority?”

In other words, “Who do you think you are?”

And so Jesus responds with a question of his own, “Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it human origin?” Well, that completely dumbfounded the chief priests and the elders. They knew that if they answered “from heaven” then Jesus would say, “Why then did you not believe him?” But they also knew that if they answered “of human origin” then they would hear it from the people who regarded John as a prophet. So they thought about it and thought about it and finally said, “We do not know.”

There inability to see the truth about the origin of Jesus’ authority proves to be their own self-incrimination. The ones who should have known better, the ones who were the very people others depended on to recognize what was truly authorized by God, were unable to recognize the source of Jesus authority. In the end, no answer from Jesus about the origin of his authority would be able satisfy their inquisition. They were neither willing nor able to accept his authority and therefore his identity, because accepting means believing, and believing means faithful obedience.

We might like to thumb our noses at the religious leaders of Jesus’ day and criticize their lack of faith and pat ourselves on the back for getting it right, but we should be cautious of our myopic critique and judgment. The question over Jesus’ authority is as much a Christian problem as it is a Jewish one. Christians can also become blind to the truth of Jesus’ authority and his identity. We too can easily reduce the Christian faith into 1. simply moral and ethical teachings that we can either choose to follow or not depending on how we feel about it, or 2. simply a theological idea that has no relevance for our everyday lives. We too can become simply maintainers of a religion with no excitement or passion concerning what God’s active grace is doing and consequently no enthusiasm for evangelism and renewal. We too can become simply hearers of the word, but not doers, like Charlie Brown in class hearing the teacher say, “blah blah blah blah,” but not really paying attention, like the second son in the parable who is not really paying attention but says yes and then never acts, never turns words into action, never makes a choice to submit and commit himself to the father’s will, never bridges the gap between religious activity and faithful obedience. As one commentator said, “We say that we are going to work in the vineyard, but instead of harvesting the grapes we spend our time rearranging the stones along the path.”

To say Jesus’ authority comes from God, or to even say Jesus is God, is to make a claim not only about who Jesus is and his authority, but about ourselves as well, that we are under the authority of one who is greater than ourselves, that we are willing and able to submit and commit ourselves to the one who is, “I AM.” Every day Jesus’ authority is in question by a world that says individualism or government or science or spiritualism or whatever is the final authority on truth.

Recently, I heard the nominee for the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, who I like and believe is well qualified, testify under oath that “[his] faith and [his] religious beliefs do not play a role in judging.”

While I certainly understand the intention behind Judge Roberts words, I could not help but cringe at the thought that one’s faith or religious beliefs do not have a bearing on one’s decisions or actions. Of course they should, whether we agree with them or not.

Every day the world watches us to see whether or not what we say we believe has any bearing on our decisions and actions, whether or not the authority of Jesus Christ has any bearing on our convictions and commitments, on our discipleship and service. The religious leaders claimed to be faithfully obedient to God, but they were blind to the fact that authentic obedience includes responding in faith to the new things God is doing, submitting themselves to God’s authority, and being willing to repent and be changed to a new way of being and doing.

Every day, in every time and place, in every circumstance that comes our way, we have a choice to make about how we will answer the question of Jesus’ authority, and whether or not we will still require Jesus to present to us his credentials and qualifications. We will not always make the right choice and sometimes that choice will require us to move in a direction we are not ready to move, but as long as loyalty becomes commitment, and faith becomes obedience, we can be assured that we will enter the kingdom of God, for we will have truly become witnesses of the authority of the One who is the Lord and Savior of the world. Amen.