“By What Authority?”

Matthew 21:23-32

October 1, 2023

My son John, the youngest of my three kids, who is now a senior in high school, came into this world comfortable in his own skin. He came into the world, somehow, knowing who he is and being completely at ease with who he knew himself to be…which has been delightful to witness and experience! 

And, which has sometimes created friction between us! When what I knew, for example, as his mother, to be right and best for him, was in conflict with what he knew within himself to be right and best for him! 🙂 

For example, one day when John was about 3 years old, he was sitting at the kitchen table, moving a pencil back and forth along the crack made by the two leaves of the table. I noticed what he was doing, and said something like, “John, stop that. That’s not what pencils are for. We don’t write on the table.” He didn’t stop.

I went over, and I’m sure my patience was already wearing thin from whatever else had already happened that day–not to mention in the previous 3 years! 🙂 And I said to him, “Give me the pencil, please.” And held out my hand. He stopped moving the pencil, and looked at me. And I said, again, “Give it to me.” 

And my dear, sweet, delightful little John, holding my gaze,  proceeded to throw the pencil on the floor. I grabbed his little hand, and smacked it, and said, “You do what I tell you to do.” Or in other words, “I’m the boss! And I did not tell you to throw that pencil on the floor. Who do you think you are??” 

Well, he was about to let me know who he understood himself to be! After I smacked his hand, he scrunched up his face and looked away and said, “I won’t cry!” Or in other words, “You’re not the boss! I’ll do what I want. Because I’m John, that’s who I am!! And I don’t think it—I know it!” 

In that moment, I realized I had a different kind of kid on my hands–a kid with his own sense of authority. I’d known that, of course, since he was born–his free-spirited, open-hearted, joie de vivre, that exemplified his strong sense of himself, had been evident since birth to all who knew him. But in that moment, I was struck by the crystal-clear realization that he was not going to simply be obedient because I was his mother, as both Sarah and Ryan, his older sister and brother, for the most part, had been. 

John had, and continues to have, a strong sense of his own authority, that comes from within himself. It was often challenging when he was younger…and on occasion, it still is. But it is a gift, and I believe it will serve him well in life.

Today’s Gospel passage has a lot to say about authority. Well, at least it talks a lot about authority. And I do think it has something to say about true authority–the kind offered to us by God, and available to us through God…the kind we find in God as people of God… The kind of authority, I believe, our world desperately needs more of…

So let’s take a look! In the very first verse, we find Jesus teaching in the temple–and this is the temple in Jerusalem. The lectionary skipped over the part in Matthew where Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, the story we associate with Palm Sunday; but that just happened the day before our story takes place. Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem, with people shouting Hosanna and cheering for him. AND, he had gone into the temple, and had his fit of rage, driving out the people who were buying and selling things and overturning the tables of the money changers… 

And now, the day after all of that, he’s back, and he’s teaching. In the temple. And we read that “the chief priests and the elders of the people” come over to where he is. And mind you, these are the big dogs in all of Judaism at that time. The tippy-top priests. Jesus has gotten the attention of the real muckety-mucks. And they’re not coming over to thank him.  

We read that they ask him, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Or in other words, “We are the bosses here! And we didn’t tell you you could do these things. Who do you think you are??” 

“By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”

If I were asked a question by the muckety-mucks of the PC(USA), I would answer them. If you who are labbies were asked a question by Thom Mason, the Director of LANL, I’m guessing you would answer him. If you who are LAPS employees or students were asked a question by Jennifer Guy, the superintendent, I’m guessing you’d answer.

I suspect that for most, if not all of us, if we were asked a question by someone we considered a top dog, someone who had tremendous authority over us, the default would be to answer the question. 

You’ll notice in today’s passage, that Jesus didn’t answer their questions. Not directly. 

He knew their questions didn’t come from a place of curiosity, but from a place of condemnation. 

He knew they weren’t really waiting for his answer, but simply baiting their trap.

He also knew that the authority they were wielding was irrelevant. The authority within which they stood when they asked him those questions. He knew they didn’t really have any authority. Not over him. 

Jesus knew that any authority they had was externally granted–resulting from their education, their position at the temple, their role in Jewish society, the power given to them by Rome… It wasn’t necessarily insignificant, but in this case, it was irrelevant. Because it was granted by the structures of the world. And Jesus didn’t operate in the ways of the world.

On top of that, Jesus knew that his authority–the authority in which he stood, and from which he was doing the things he was doing, whether in the temple in Jerusalem or on the back roads of Samaria–came from within. He knew that his authority had been given to him by God, and was dependent on nothing external, nothing outside of himself, nothing “of the world.” The authority in which Jesus stood and from which he acted came from God and was centered and grounded deep within himself. 

And so, with all of that in mind, rather than simply answering their questions, Jesus responded by saying: let me ask you a question—was John the Baptist actually a messenger of God? Or was he just some crazy guy? What do you think, muckety-mucks? Most learned priests? Religious leaders extraordinaire? You who are responsible for teaching the people the faith? 

Well, you’d think these most learned priests would have wanted to seize the opportunity to show off their faith and knowledge! You’d think they would have grabbed the chance to stand tall, and respond with the right answer, with deep conviction from within their innermost selves! This was their big chance to put Jesus in his place. 

Instead, they said, “Ummm…give us a minute…” and they huddled up, and argued with each other about how to respond. 

And here we see the ugly face of their externally-based authority–they thought about their response in terms of the possible consequences each answer would cause them! They considered how one answer would lead to them getting themselves in trouble…and the other would lead to them being in trouble by the people! So instead of acting from the authority that they seemed to be claiming they had, and responding to Jesus’s question with whichever answer they truly believed was right, they acted from a place of cowardice and fear, and said, “We don’t know.”

These religious leaders who had all the external trappings of authority–the status, the positions, the roles, the robes–suddenly seemed to not know their own minds. They suddenly seemed to have been taken down from their looming places of power and control, finding themselves instead reduced to fearfulness and spinelessness. “We do not know,” they said to Jesus, or perhaps simply muttered under their breath, feeling both angry and ashamed at having had the fragility of their authority revealed…

They seemed to enjoy being in a position of power…until they had to take a stand that might have consequences for them… 

They seemed to enjoy the status that came with being leaders…until they were faced with making a decision that might upset a bunch of people, who would then be upset with them… 

They seemed to enjoy the privileges that came with having authority…until that authority was challenged…and challenged by someone whose authority was so much less than theirs–Jesus had no training, no status, no official role–but at the same time, whose authority was somehow so much greater than theirs…

They knew, in their heart of hearts, that the authority in which Jesus stood came from God, and that theirs came from…not God… Well, not in the same way as his. 

But rather than be curious about how Jesus came to have that authority, they were threatened by it. 

Rather than opening their hearts and acknowledging the depth and truth of his authority, their hearts were hardened and they sought only to eliminate it. 

Rather than humble themselves and follow Jesus in his God-given authority, they clung to their world-given authority and plotted to kill him. 

Jesus knew this was all in their hearts. And I think it grieved him… And so he told them a story…A story of a father and his two sons… To one son he said, “Son, go work in the vineyard today.” And this son said, effectively, “No! I don’t want to. I’m not going to.” But then, some time later, he changed his mind and went. The father said the same thing to his other son, “Son, go work in the vineyard today.” And this son said, “Sure, Dad! Happy to! I’m on my way!” But  then he didn’t go. “Which son,” Jesus asked, “did the will of his father?” 

All who were listening knew, just like we do today–that it was the son who said no, appearing to give the wrong answer, but then went to the vineyard, and not the son who had initially given the right answer and said yes, but then didn’t go. 

Jesus seemed to be saying that kingdom living is not about the externals, it’s not about appearances. It’s not simply about saying the right thing, or looking the part, or playing the role. It’s not even about doing all the right things, if doing them is simply a matter of checking off all the boxes, on a checklist that has been handed to you by external sources. None of that is what being people of God is about.

Kingdom living–fulfilling the desires of God–living as people of God with a sense of God-given authority–is an internal thing. It’s about what’s inside. It’s about what comes from within the heart, the deepest and truest part of ourselves. It’s about figuring out and then doing the things God has given us to do, and seeking and then living the life God has called us to live, and discovering and then becoming who God has called us to be; and doing all of that humbly and courageously, and with kindness and authenticity, regardless of the consequences, no matter who’s pleased or upset by it. It’s about living with authority, based on knowing who God is and who God has created us to be.

Easier said than done…for sure… But worth desiring! Worth seeking. Because that kind of authority–true authority, God-given authority, authority that is internally seated, not dependent on externals–that kind of authority will truly allow us, both as individuals and as part of the Body of Christ, to stand tall and live from within our beliefs and live out our convictions, and live unafraid as people of God. 

That kind of authority is true authority, and will allow us to truly live.

And people truly living with that kind of authority, I believe, is something our world desperately needs…

Let’s do it!

May it be so!