By What Authority
Matthew 21: 23-27
Pentecost 18 (Proper 21)
Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ amen. The sermon text for the eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost is the Gospel reading Matthew 21. Authority. Is that a good word or a bad word? Years ago people were taught that they were to respect authority figures such as presidents, bosses, parents, police, teachers and pastors. Times have changed. In our world today there is a breakdown in people’s respect for authority. The vocations of teacher, police officer, pastor and parent are more challenging because in our world today there is a rejection of authority. The Fourth Command is clear that we are to love and honor our parents and other authorities, but we must admit that we don’t always listen to authority. Human beings like to live life on their own terms and they don’t like others telling them what to do. We all want ultimate authority for ourselves because we often think that we know best. We sometimes think that we know better than God.
That is what we see in our Gospel reading for today. After Jesus ran the money changers out of the temple the day before, the chief priests and the elders confront Him. They come to Him and ask this question. “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” The chief priests and the elders did not ask this question because they were curious or wanted to learn. They asked the question in order to argue with the Lord. They wanted to challenge Jesus. They came before the Lord with an unbelieving heart. The chief priests and the elders did not believe in Jesus even though it was clear that He was the Son of God and the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. Jesus reveals the condition of their hear by asking them a question about John the Baptist. Was John a prophet sent by God? The chief priests and elders refused to answer the question. It revealed their evil intent.
John the Baptist, who was a prophet of God, announced to the world the coming of the Lord. Jesus performed miracles and He spoke the Word of God with ultimate authority. When Jesus taught the people, He cited things from the Old Testament and then He explained what the prophets were talking about. He explained to the people, “This is what God’s Word means, period.” He spoke with great authority. That should not surprise us. Jesus is the Word made flesh. Jesus is the Son of God. Recall what was said about the Lord in Hebrews 1. “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” In other words, Jesus has complete authority.
The chief priests and elders rejected Jesus. They viewed themselves as the ultimate authority. We of course believe in Jesus and follow Him. Yet we must also remember that we live in a fallen world that rejects the authority of the Lord. We must always remember that the world is trying to mold us and that we will be tempted to follow the ways of the world.
I remember a friend telling me about a woman who belonged to his church. This woman encouraged two of her friends to move in together before marriage as a test run to see if they were compatible. It is bad enough when Christians get tempted to sin but, in this case, it was a Christian who was promoting the sinful act. When my friend gently questioned her about the advice she gave to her friends, she looked at him as if he had ten heads and was from Mars. She was so molded by the world that hearing about God’s design for marriage seemed foreign to her. We can fall into the same trap and be tempted to live life on our own terms rather than following what God’s Word clearly teaches us. Due to our sinful nature we want to reject authority and that would even include rejecting the authority of the Lord. Sometimes we think that we know best. Sometimes we think we know better than God.
Let us repent and turn to the Lord. Let us receive His forgiveness. Let us receive His forgiveness and trust in Him. As forgiven children of God let us humble ourselves before Christ’s authority rather than challenging it, because He exercises His authority to lift the humble.
When we look at our Gospel reading for today, we are reminded that Jesus Christ is the one who has authority. God did not give us ultimate authority. He gave ultimate authority to His Son, Jesus Christ. It is the Lord who tells us how we are to think and act. It is the Lord who defines what is right and wrong. It is the Lord who tells us in His Word that life begins at conception and that we are not to take another person’s life including the baby in the womb. God loves life and so we are called upon to preserve life. The Lord loves life so much that He came into the world to defeat death for us. It is the Lord who defines what love is for us. Love is not affirming someone in their sins. Love is sacrificial. Love is serving those in need, encouraging others with God’s Word, and if necessary, calling people to repentance. It is the Lord who defines for us that marriage is between a man and a woman. He calls us to be content with what we have. He calls us to His church to receive His gifts.
The ways of the world only lead to suffering, pain, and ruin. Our Lord gives us commands to follow for our wellbeing. His commands are good and right. His commands guide us in how to lead a God pleasing life. Our Lord commands us with ultimate authority but His authority also includes His promises. We know when the Lord makes a promise that promise cannot be broken. It is the Lord that proclaims to us that our sins have been forgiven through His death and resurrection. It is Jesus Christ our Lord who gives us the assurance that He has defeated sin and death and through Him we have been given the gift of eternal life. Our Lord makes the promise that He will continue to be with us to the end of the age. Our Lord makes the promise that He is present in the church and in our lives. All of the promises that Jesus makes to us are spoken with ultimate authority.
Jesus is the head of the church. There would be no church without Him. It is the Lord who gracious took a bunch of sinners like us and cleansed us with His shed blood and made us His people forever. It is the Lord who now works through us to be a light in the world. When we fail, He is the one who picks us up, calls us to repent, forgives our sins, renews our heart, and gives us His strength.
In our world today there is a breakdown in people’s respect for authority. People will be tempted to live life on their own terms instead of living on God’s terms. But in our Gospel reading for today we clearly see that Jesus Christ is the one who has complete authority. His commands are final. His promises are always true. God’s pleasure is that we humble ourselves before Christ’s authority rather than challenge it, because He exercise His authority to lift the humble.” Amen.