Listen to the audio of today’s Reflection:
https://soundcloud.com/hapearce/reflection-for-march-26-2024
Mark 11:27-33
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
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.”
As we mentioned yesterday, our readings are now coming from Mark’s account of the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The episodes show a growing conflict with the Jewish religious leadership. There had already been friction between Jesus and the priests and Pharisees, and that friction seems to have intensified after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and then entered the city at the head of a large crowd.
In today’s reading, Jesus is approached by a group of the religious leaders, who demand to know by what authority he is “doing these things.” There were probably two things Jesus had been doing that were particularly threatening to the religious leadership.
The first one was the Triumphal Entry. We remember it on Palm Sunday, and we think of it as a happy event – the Palm Sunday hymns are all about little children singing and people waving palms and throwing flowers. And if the historians are correct, the crowds who lined the roadway to sing and shout praises to Jesus probably were pretty joyful. Or at least experiencing a new hope in a depressing time of occupation by a foreign power.
But we should probably keep in mind that the crowds cheering Jesus on were really big crowds. Probably at least tens of thousands, and maybe even hundreds of thousands. And the Romans held the religious leadership responsible for maintaining order, so this huge crowd following Jesus would have seemed frightening and threatening. It was not under their control, and a big emotional crowd could be volatile. That could spell trouble with the Romans.
The gospel accounts don’t say that Jesus had actually organized this big public assembly along the roadway, but clearly he was the catalyst for it and he refused to discourage it. So when the leadership was demanding to know by what authority he was “doing these things,” the Triumphal Entry was probably one of the things that they had in mind.
And the other disruptive thing Jesus had done was chasing the moneychangers and the merchants selling sacrificial animals out of the temple. That obviously would have disrupted the peace and dignity of the temple. And if the historians are correct, it would also have deprived the temple leadership of their lucrative share of the profits these monopolies were generating. (Probably shouting about “a den of robbers” added insult to injury.)
So, when the Hebrew leaders ask, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you authority to do this?” these are probably the things that were foremost in their minds.
But as he did on a number of other occasions, Jesus turns back the leaders’ question with one of his own. He asks by what authority did John the Baptist preach and baptize?
Mark lets us listen in on their discussion about how to answer Jesus. They can’t say John’s authority was from God, because Jesus would say that they should have listened to him. But they also can’t say John’s authority was from the people because the people thought he was a prophet. So the religious leaders refuse to answer Jesus’ question, and he refuses to answer theirs.
Every time I read this story, I’m struck by how the religious leadership never shows the slightest interest in the theological truth. They don’t pray to seek God’s guidance. They don’t consult the scriptures. They’re supposed to be religious leaders, but their thought process is entirely based on ‘public relations.’ Their reasoning is exactly the same as that of any group of local politicians on an issue of zoning or police protection.
I suppose that’s why Jesus called them “blind guides?” They were supposed to be the highest spiritual leaders among God’s people, but clearly they were spiritually blind. Jesus could have asked another question: ‘And what about you – by what authority are you operating?’ But he didn’t need to ask that. It’s pretty obvious that the leadership was operating under the authority of Roman power and public opinion, not the authority of God’s word. The leaders didn’t even think about that.
There’s an obligation for leaders in the faith community to seek God’s guidance all the time. And there’s an obligation for the rest of us to encourage our leaders to do that – not just to do what we want. Just about every important change in Christian thought that we now recognize as being led by the Holy Spirit – including the Protestant reformation, the abolition of slavery, and equal rights for women and people of color – all those things were adamantly opposed by the majority of church members when they were first proposed. Fortunately for the church, in each case there were some leaders who refused to be led by public opinion – leaders who were faithful enough and courageous enough to be led by God’s will, even when it was unpopular. Sometimes they got crucified for it.
But after crucifixion, there’s resurrection. True authority is revealed. And the kingdom marches on.
Let’s pray. Lord, strengthen those who lead us to listen prayerfully for the guidance of your Spirit, and to act faithfully in their service to the church. And lead the rest of us to be faithful in keeping the vows we have made to respect their decisions, even when we might disagree with them. Amen.
Grace and Peace,
Henry
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