By What Authority or ….

WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOU COULD DO THAT?

or … Who Gave You Permission?

“By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”

The church is part of a brand new order in God’s Kingdom where human authority is not required to legitimize its message and deeds. It is neither required nor desired, recognized nor sought. It is a strange and wonderful movement where everything is turned upside down in order to land right side up. It scandalizes our notions of worthiness when the prostitutes and tax collectors enter before the religious folks who ask for authority and legitimacy from the world and honor from the religious institutions that title them. God, let us be the sons that do what you tell us to do and don’t just talk about it and posture ourselves for position.

“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?”

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. 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?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

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.””

“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.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 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.”

“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.”(Matthew 21:23–32 ESV)

If I asked you how many groups Jesus described, you might say two.

However, I would suggest there were three.

The first two were in the parable. The third was in the application. First, there were those heard the call and refused, but later, they changed their minds, answered, and obeyed. Second, there were those who heard the call, gladly embraced it with commitment to go to the vineyard. Later, however, they were nowhere to be found. Finally, Jesus said, there was his audience of critics. They heard, refused, and never changed their minds. They persisted in their harness of heart, disbelief, and disobedience to the call.

These, Jesus said, would trail behind the dregs of society entering the Kingdom of God.

Belief, Jesus says, is about changing our minds.

As wise person gave us some advice once as we were adoptive parents of children who met many of our directives with bold, loud, and defiant objections. She said, “Don’t engage with the words; wait and see what they do.”

We tried it and it worked. The kids worked though their objections and we all avoided a pointless argument.’

God lets us vent, but His call remains to come and labor in His vineyard.

Faith and obedience are far more about what we ultimately do than what we immediately say.

“Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.”

That is because they got the point?

https://pastortomsims.typepad.com/the_dream_factory/2019/12/take-it-or-leave-it