After Jesus expelled those who were selling and buying in the temple, He returned the next day, and the Jewish leaders found Him and asked, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you authority to do this?” They should have recognized God’s authority in the Lord, but they disdained it, since they deeply loved the petty authority of the world.
They hoped that Jesus would say, “This came by God’s authority”, and they plotted to accuse Him immediately. However, the Lord saw through their hearts and asked them a question. “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?”
This excellent question was very awkward to the Jewish leaders. If they said that John’s authority came from heaven, it would show that they ignored the authority coming from heaven, since they rejected him earlier. Despite this, they could not say that it came from man. This was because they feared the people, for they considered John to be a true prophet. They feared man but ignored God, and the only answer they could give was, “We do not know.”
To this Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” If they let go of their prejudice and considered what Jesus was doing, it would not be hard to understand where His authority came from. Yet the concern of the Jewish leaders was not God’s authority, but keeping their own authority. They thought that an unspectacular person was putting their authority in danger, and they chose to dismiss Jesus.
They rejected the One with God’s authority this way because Jesus did not yet reveal all His authority. The Lord has two kinds of authority. One is the authority to save, and the other is the authority to judge. The only one shown to the world so far is the authority to save. This is a unique circumstance owing to God’s will (which is to save sinners). If Jesus revealed everything (including the authority to judge) while He was on earth, the Jewish leaders would have knelt before Him too early just to escape their punishment.
However, the Lord wants to have fellowship with those who repent with sincere heart, give thanks for the Lord’s grace, and love Him in any circumstance. This is why the Lord still hides the authority to judge and only reveals the authority to save. The Lord uses the church. He also established His servant to lead the church. He makes His servant carry this heavy burden and undergo all kinds of unfairness to keep the ministry of salvation going. Yet because the authority of judgement cannot be seen, things still happen in the church that are similar to what the Jewish leaders did. They disregard the authority to save and oppose the ministry of salvation.
Let’s not abuse the Lord’s will while He seeks people who sincerely repent and love. The Gospel rests on the fact that there will be fearful judgement. If we reject the Lord when He shows the authority to save, we will face a fearful reality when He shows the authority of judgement later. Let’s understand the Lord’s heart while He conceals the authority to judge and is being patient now. Let’s unite our hearts to build a church which powerfully demonstrates the authority to save.
(Lord’s Day Service on October 31, 2021)
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