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The Question about Jesus' Authority

Matthew 21:23-32

Good News Translation (GNT)

23  Jesus came back to the Temple; and as he taught, the
   chief priests and the elders came to him and asked,
   "What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you
   such right?"
24  Jesus answered them, "I will ask you just one question,
   and if you give me an answer, I will tell you what right
   I have to do these things.
25  Where did John's right to baptise come from: was it from
   God or from human beings?" They started to argue among
   themselves, "What shall we say? If we answer, 'From God,'
   he will say to us, 'Why, then, did you not believe John?'
26  But if we say, 'From human beings,' we are afraid of what
   the people might do, because they are all convinced that
   John was a prophet."
27  So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." And he said
   to them, "Neither will I tell you, then, by what right
   I do these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons
28  "Now, what do you think? There was once a man who had
   two sons. He went to the older one and said, 'Son, go and
   work in the vineyard today.'
29  'I don't want to,' he answered,but later he changed his
   mind and went.
30  Then the father went to the other son and said the same
   thing. 'Yes, sir,' he answered, but he did not go.
31  Which one of the two did what his father wanted?"
   "The older one," they answered. So Jesus said to them,
   "I tell you: the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going
   into the Kingdom of God ahead of you.
32  For John the Baptist came to you showing you the right
   path to take, and you would not believe him; but the tax
   collectors and the prostitutes believed him. Even when
   you saw this, you did not later change your minds
   and believe him.

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Commentary taken from
'The Applied New Testament Commentary' (Kingsway)

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

The Jewish leaders asked Jesus who gave Him authority to teach and to heal, and to drive the money changers out of the temple. They asked Him this to trap Him. If He said, "Some man gave me authority," the people would lose respect for Him. If He said, "God gave me the authority," then the Jewish leaders could accuse Jesus of "blasphemy".

Because in the Jews' sight, to claim to have God's authority was the same as claiming to be like God. For a man to presume to stand in the place of God - was a great insult to God. Any man who insulted God in this way was to be given the death sentence.

The Old Testament prophets spoke with God's authority, of course, and they were not considered blasphemers. But the Jewish leaders did not consider Jesus to be a prophet. Thus, in their eyes, Jesus was indeed a blasphemer.

Therefore, whatever answer Jesus gave to their question about His authority, the Jewish leaders would be able to use it against Him.

It was a common custom among the Jews to answer one question by asking another. Therefore, Jesus asked the Jewish leaders to first tell Him where John the Baptist got his authority; from God or from man?

If they said John's authority was from God then they would have to acknowledge that Jesus' authority came from God also. Just as they had tried to trap Jesus, so Jesus trapped them.

Almost all the people at that time believed that John the Baptist was a great prophet, whose authority came from God. Therefore, if the Jewish leaders answered that John's authority was only from man, the crowds would mock and abuse them.

However, the Jewish leaders did not want to admit that John's authority was from God. John had told them to repent and prepare for the coming of the Messiah. He had told them that Jesus was the Messiah.

If they answered that John's authority was from God, Jesus would say, "Then why didn't you believe him?"

Therefore, the Jewish leaders answered, "We don't know where John's authority came from."

Of course, they knew; only they refused to say. Therefore, Jesus refused to say where His authority came from.

The Parable of the Two Sons

Jesus told this parable to the Jewish leaders who prided themselves that they followed the law. The first son represents the tax collectors and the prostitutes. They considered themselves unrighteous. They said to Jesus, as Peter had, "Go away from me. Lord; I am a sinful man!"

Such people give no promise of being religious. They say "No" to Jesus; but then they repent and turn to God. And God will consider repentant sinners righteous, because in the end they do His will.

The second son represents the Jewish leaders. They said, "We are righteous, we are obedient. We will certainly obey God." But then they did not. God said through John the Baptist, "Repent." But they did not repent. They did not believe in Jesus. They did not love God.

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