Second Presbyterian Church

"What Authority Does Jesus Have?
Preaching From the Gospel of Luke"
September 11, 2005

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Sermons Homepage » Sermons for 2005 » Sermons for September 2005 » Sermons from the Series on Luke

#61 in the Series on Luke
The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.

• Isaiah 8: 11-15
• Luke 20: 1-26

The setting is now Jerusalem. Jesus continued to teach and preach the Good News there in the temple. He basically had two audiences: one was the crowd that were "hanging on every word" he spoke, the second were the temple authorities - the chief priests and scribes. Jesus was no longer preaching the gospel in the synagogues of the countryside in which it was common practice to ask someone to come up and speak some words. He was now at the cultic center of the Jewish faith: The temple in Jerusalem. It was a magnificent structure that had been under construction for three decades and would not be finished for another three. It was ruled by the chief priests, those who could claim descendents to Levi, the son of Jacob.

The chief priests had the authority to control what went on in the temple. And they had the right to ask Jesus just who gave him authority to teach in the temple. We would be less than fair to judge them harshly for doing what was their right and duty to do - in and of itself! After all, we claim similar authority in the smooth running of this congregation. I was given the authority to preach the Word of God and to administer the sacraments. We could degenerate into a very serious chaos if anyone could stand up and claim to do what I was called to do as your minister, or what your elders have been called to do as your Ruling Elders.

So, the fact that the chief priests asked Jesus about his authority was in and of itself legitimate. And I believe that Jesus was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Were they really open to an answer? Or did they have some other motive for asking Jesus about his authority?

Jesus responded by asking them a question: By what authority was John's Baptism; was it from heaven, or was it from man? If they could give Jesus an honest answer to this question, then he could consider them open to what he had to say.

They could not. They discussed among themselves what the possible consequences would be for their answer. If we say John's baptism was from heaven, then Jesus would wonder why we didn't follow John. If we say John's baptism was of human origin, then the crowd would turn on us! Wow, politics in the Sanhedrin! The chief priests were not worried about the truth; they were worried about the reaction of the crowd! That was a biblical version of taking a poll and responding to it, so that the politician could know what was the answer most acceptable to the people!

So, the chief priests lied. They responded to Jesus by saying, "We don't know." The truth would have been, "We are afraid to say the truth, either way." Jesus knew, then that they were not going to be open to his message of salvation. They were there to discredit him so that they could get him out of the way. So, Jesus responded that he would not answer their question about his authority. They would not have accepted it anyway.

So Jesus turned to the crowds and told a parable, as the temple rulers looked on and listened. Jesus told the parable of the owner of the vineyard who let it out to tenants. When he sent representatives for his share of the product, they would reject the representatives, sometimes beat them, and send them away empty-handed. The owner, in desperation, decided to send his on son with the hope that the tenants would respect the owner's son. They did not. Instead, the tenants killed him in the hope that they may inherit the vineyard.

Point of the parable: it represented Israel and its relationship with the prophets. The servants that were sent to the vineyard represented the prophets that God had sent to Israel and who were abused and mistreated. Even the prophet, John the Baptist can be included as one of the ones sent to the vineyard who had been beheaded by Herod. By the time Jesus quoted the scripture about the cornerstone that was rejected by the builders (Psalm 118: 22) the chief priests and scribes realized that Jesus was talking to them.

They were not pleased. But we already knew that. We already know how this week in Jerusalem was going to end (death by crucifixion, then resurrection).

There were other issues about authority, and the chief priests set out to trap Jesus in his own words, they hoped, and therefore have him disposed of by the authorities. Here was the plan. Have spies come to Jesus pretending to be some of the admiring crowd. These spies would ask a trick question that would get Jesus in trouble with the crowd and hopefully with the Herodians that represented the Roman authority.

The question was this: Should we pay taxes to Caesar? If Jesus said simply "Yes," then the crowds would turn away. Many in that area, especially in Galilee, were strongly against paying taxes to Rome. Also keep in mind that fact that the denarius had Caesar's image on it with an inscription that proclaimed Caesar's divinity. It was not just a simple matter of being made at a conquering country; it was a matter of faithfulness to the LORD. Paying taxes could be interpreted as supporting Caesar as being divine. No Hebrew could do that with a good conscience, because the LORD is God, the LORD alone! (Deut 6: 4).

Luke was having Jesus speak to Christians in his own time. There was a strong movement among Christians to try, as much as possible, to get along with the ruling authorities. Christians believed that the authority that rulers were given to govern was given by God himself.

So, the question comes back to us: what authority does Jesus Christ have for us? Even as I speak there is sharp discussion among Christians about the true authority of Jesus. This has come into focus by the fact that our communities become more and more religiously pluralistic. All of us have neighbors who are not only Christian, but also Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and/or Sikh.

Some Christians have begun to wonder and doubt whether Jesus as the Messiah is even relevant for all humankind since other really good people are not even Christian. There are those who postulate, some of which you might agree, that although Jesus is Messiah, there are possible other Messiahs for those who are part of another religious tradition.

I respectfully do not share this idea. I believe that Jesus is THE Messiah, not just one of many "messiahs" or paths to heaven. And I believe that we are called to proclaim Jesus of Nazareth as THE Messiah by which humankind can be saved.

Yet believing this, does not mean that we are to behave in a condescending and arrogant manner toward our fellow human beings who do not happen to be Christian. Jesus is very clear that we are to love our neighbor as our selves. It is an expression of our loving God with all our heart, mind, and soul. And if you do not believe that this covers all the bases, then remember also that Jesus called us to love even our enemies! (Luke 6)

Today is Rally day when things in our congregation really get going for the fall and winter months. We go back to our Church School winter schedule where the children are back to more aged separated classes rather than the intergenerational classes. My point is this: our task is to teach that Jesus is our authority in life. He is the one who can and does give meaning for life. Is Jesus the one that gives your life focus and grounding? Is Jesus more important to you than anything else? That is my prayer for all of us. Amen.

The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.