What's Your Authority? Jesus!??
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****CBC CREED****
Last week as Jesus entered Jerusalem, he also entered the last week of his earthly life. On Sunday he came to Bethphage, On Monday he rode in on a donkey to the shouts of Hosanna! (save, rescue, savior), and he was welcomed in the city as a King.
On Tuesday he entered the temple and didn’t like what he saw. People doing business, cheating people. He scattered the tables and said that the temple is a house of prayer.
In doing this he showed his authority. He showed that he had the right to do what he did because he had the authority to do it.
SO this morning we will continue where we left off in Matthew.
23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
It is now Wednesday of Jesus’ last week. In two days, he would stand in front of Pilate and later be hung on the cross.
He is back in the temple teaching, and some of the religious priests and elders came to him and asked a simple question:
Matthew 21:23 (ESV)
23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”
But look at Jesus answers their question. he answers it with a question of his own.
Jesus asked them, When John baptized me, was the baptism from heaven of from man?
This question put these religious leaders in a tough place. They couldn't say it was from man, because the people believed John was a prophet and John said it was from above. And also they couldn't say it was from God, because then, they would be saying they reject God because Jesus was the Messiah. So how did they answer? They didn’t. They simply said, we don not know. Not taking one side or another. Jesus knew what they were doing and he would not let them.
But here is the thing. There will always be questions about Jesus. But here is the difference in the questions that are asked about Jesus and Christianity. There are questions that are asked by people who are truly seeking truth. A truth, that when answered will allow the Holy Spirit to begin to pull them to God.
Then there are questions that are asked that are simply questions of unbelief. The person is not truly asking to understand or seeking to understand what Jesus did, they are simply asking for an argument. Those questions don’t lead knowing God, knowing Jesus, or even redemption.
We need to be careful not to get caught up in mindless questions that really don’t matter.
Don’t allow the unbelief and the opinions of others (believers) to get us off our focus of submitting to Jesus Christ.
By the way, in our final message on Matthew in December, Jesus will answer who has the authority:
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
This was the risen Lord speaking these words. He had conquered death. He had authority because he was God!
So Matthew then gives us three different parables where some reject the authority of God:
Rejection of the Authority of God
The Parable of the Two Sons (Matthew 21:28-32)
The Parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21:33-46)
The Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1-14)
28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.
Speaking to these religious rulers and elders, Jesus isn’t done exposing their real question about John the Baptist.
So this man had two sons. He asked the first one to go out to the field and work, he no, but later went out. He asked the second son to go out and work, he said yes, but never did.
I this parable, the second son who aid yes and never went out are those of the Jewish people who are not accepting Jesus as the Messiah (even these religious leaders). They say they know the Scriptures, they give money in the temple, they look religious, they say they love God with their lips… but their heart says something else.
But look who he says are the people of the first son who said no, but eventually went out....the prostitutes and the tax collectors. Dirty, evil people. Women who sold their bodies for sex and men who cheated people out of their money.
What did Jesus say about them?
Matthew 21:31 (ESV)
31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.
Why? Because first they rejected the gospel, but then turned to it, but the second son (the religious people) never turned to the Messiah.
This is a story of dead faith without repentance. And this is what James talked about:
James 2:14–26 (ESV)
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
If all the identification of a Christian that you have is the words… I am Christian. Then I would ask, are you? Show. Show me your faith. Show me your works. We are not saved by works, but our faith should ignite our works. Making it so that everyone will know that we are His, even before we open our mouth.
The second parable is seen in Matthew 21:33-46
33 “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.
Again this is a story of rejection. The master of the house was rejected. He owned some property and it was tie for the cultivation. He would receive part of that cultivation. It was his. So he sent his servants. The people at the land killed the servants. They wanted the cultivation for themselves. So he sent his Son. They rejected and killed the Son. So Jesus asks the religious leader what should the owner do? They answered:
Matthew 21:41 (ESV)
41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”
Jesus had one again drawn these religious leaders into a story and exposed them for their rejection. These servants that the owner sent, were the prophets of the Old Testament who prophesied for the Lord about the coming Messiah, but they were rejected and many of them killed. The Son that the owner sent was, you know, Jesus. the Messiah, and the religious leaders were rejecting him as Messiah.
And what they said would be the punishment for the people at the land, would become theirs… a miserable death....an eternal death.
Why?
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
They had rejected the stone..cornerstone…Jesus. At look what would happen to them...
43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
There was no repentance in them…and they finally realized that Jesus was talking about them. But it wasn’t time for them to do anything about it. That was still two days away.
Jesus tells one more parable about people rejecting him. Look at Matthew 22:1-14
1 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.” ’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”
A king was throwing a wedding party. There was a wedding and people were invited. All the guests replied, yes! we will be there. But when it came time for he wedding party, no one came. They all had an excuse. I need to go do this or I need to go do that, and when the Father sent some of his servants out to remind the people of the party, they were killed.
He had all this food and drinks and nobody was there to enjoy them, so he sent other servants out and told them to get anyone, everyone you can find, and bring them so they can enjoy the party.
Maybe people today like the idea of going to heaven. They like to say I am a Christian. I know God. That associate themselves with him, but don’t follow him and truly become a disciples who wants nothing else than to follow his will.
You see they have accepted the invitation, but they don’t want to go to the party. They like the idea of God, but they will not place themselves in the will of God.
And sometimes they may say, yes I am a Christian, but God knows their true heart. And that is how he will judge you. Who you really are.
On the day you stand before the Lord, its who you think you are that matters, it who God thinks you are. And God will know, is this person truly accepting of me, or are they just using words.
At the end of the story, the king sees a man who was at the party, but he wasn’t true. What did the king say to him...
Matthew 22:13 (ESV)
13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
This is a picture of rejection. Someone’s rejection of the Lord, and ultimately, the Lords rejection of them.
Look at the last verse:
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”
In just two days, Jesus would be nailed to the cross. Arms stretched across the wooden cross. He would die for the sins of the world. We would die for everyone. But not everyone will call upon his name and follow him.
Many are called…the gospel is presented, the Holy Spirit draws…many are called…but few are chosen.... few respond.
That is a decision only you can ake for yourself.