Mark 11:27-33 – Whose Authority?
The chief priests, the men responsible for teaching others about God, are so spiritually blind themselves, that they grow in their hatred of Jesus. They can’t successfully attack the things He says or the way He lives His life. They don’t know what to do to discredit Him. But it is obvious that Jesus is speaking with authority. He acts as though He has the right to say and do what He does. The chief priests, teachers, and elders angrily demand that Jesus tell them why He thinks He has any authority to tell them what to do.
Jesus answers their question with another question. He implies that His authority is coming from the same source as John the Baptist’s authority – in other words, God. If they know where John’s authority comes from, they should know where His authority comes from. He is giving them the opportunity to realise who He is and confess their sin of not believing Him, but they refuse to open their eyes.
Instead of trying to come up with an answer that is true, they try to come up with an answer that is “safe.” But they are stuck. They either embarrass themselves by admitting that they don’t believe something they know to have come from God, or they risk the anger of the crowd by denying something everyone knows to be true. So, ashamed to admit the truth, because of implications for themselves, they lie and pretend not to know.
Questions
- What did the religious leaders want to know about Jesus?
- Where did His authority come from?
Prayer Points
- Pray that we would be bold to tell others the truth about Jesus.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.