By What Authority?

Luke Chapter 20

LUKE 20:1-26

20:1 On one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him, 2 and they spoke, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?” 3 Jesus answered and said to them, “I will also ask you a question, and you tell Me: 4 “Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?” 5 They reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6 “But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from. 8 And Jesus said to them, “Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

13 “The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 “But when the vine-growers saw him, they reasoned with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 “So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 “He will come and destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others.” When they heard it, they said, “May it never be!” 17 But Jesus looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,

THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER STONE ’?

18 “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”

19 The scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and they feared the people; for they understood that He spoke this parable against them.

LUKE 20:1-7

“Tell us by what authority…”

We’ve mentioned before there is authority and there is ability. These Religious leaders leaned heavily on authority — because it’s all they had. They lacked the ability Jesus had to actually heal people. Their attempt was to bring any opposition (including Jesus) down to their level instead of building their ability. This is often the case when people lack ability and rely on authority. Authority is a good fallback for retreating if your actions can’t back up your claims.

It has to be difficult to be driven by popular opinion such as these leaders were. They could not answer Jesus nor attack him openly as they feared public opinion. They were not driven by their values — as mature adults are — but by the whims of the populace.

Fortunately, Jesus confronted that issue in his early temptations with Satan’s attack backfiring and actually focusing Jesus in naming the Lord’s pedagogy would not include immediate gratification, pandering for popularity or using the power of manipulation [Luke 4:1-13].

Satan has a small toolbox of tested items. He seeks our souls in the same method he sought Jesus’ soul. Like with the religious leaders of Christ’s time, Satan uses more pressure, as we increasingly become a threat to him.

“Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”

Jesus doesn’t reply to the Pharisee’s query, he’s too smart for that. He uses a technique we should employ far more often, not, “What is the right answer” but “What is the right question?”

The question Christ asks would force the Pharisee’s to take a side and not allow them to wallow in the complacency of the middle road. The people loved John and Jesus was even more popular to them. Jesus knew if they took the middle road on John, they would be given the same free rein when the leaders came for him as well.

Jesus doesn’t allow us the complacency of mediocrity. His life and statements push us into a response to life’s harshest issues — the one’s most easily left for others to answers — especially those regarding the rights and treatment of the disenfranchised.

“Nor will I tell you…”

If we’re wishy-washy with Jesus, he will be wishy-washy with us. He disdains mediocrity…

Luke 3:15-16

15 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 “So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”

What is the “Mediocrity Meter” in my life? Do I have issues that move me to action? A word that I recently learned was “slackism.” It’s used of a person who sees an issue raised online and does nothing more than check “Like” below the issue. If that is the extent of our social involvement, it isn’t enough to pass muster in Jesus’ kingdom.

Matthew 24:37-46

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 “Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45 “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The Lord wants us to do more than push the “like” button on our social networks. Slackism is not a proper response to hunger, homelessness and imprisonment. We are called to compassionate action not dispassionate observation.

Throughout this entire section Luke seems to comparing the mediocrity of the religious leaders of Christ’s time with the ability and compassion of Jesus. These leaders were wishy-washy, fearful of Herod, Rome, Jesus and the people. They were as indecisive as a weather vane in a tornado. Unable to commit to any issue, they took the temperature of the crowd everyday before making any statement in public.

LUKE 20:13-19

‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,

THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER STONE ’?

18 “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”

19 The scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and they feared the people; for they understood that He spoke this parable against them.

“This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.”

Sadly, this was not too uncommon an occurrence in Christ’s day when land was at a premium and held generationally. Like Central America in the seventies or the US today. Very few people actually controlled the land available for farming or wealth generation — a situation ripe for disaster since farming and herding were the only true sources of wealth at the time. People felt locked into cycles of poverty and the “system of ownership” didn’t work for the majority of the people so they would go outside the system to meet their needs. At some point perhaps we will learn that the least engaged always have the most power. Whether it is in a relationship, a classroom or a community.

In our communities, we call the least engaged, gangs. In our world, the least engaged are terrorists. William T. Vollman, traveled six continents in his quest to write the book, “Poor People” [Vollman, W. © 2007 Harper Collins Publishers], asked people the question, “Why are you poor?”

Most people did not consider themselves poor unless they felt outside of a supportive community. Those who felt most isolated felt the poorest. Others, felt they were actually rich — even if in relationships. In fact, people don’t feel poor unless they believe that poverty is their plight and the wealthy feel that wealth is their right. At that point in time, those who are able, build systems and ideologies around their wealth, which locks out the poor. You might define these countries as, “The best health care a citizen can afford.” Or, “The best legal system a citizen can afford.” Or, “The best education a citizen can afford.”

When situations such as this become systematized, an Arab Spring or revolt of some sort is sure to follow. The people of Christ’s day were ripe for change as are many people who feel systemically locked out of fair return for labor in any generation.

The greatest challenge for our upcoming generation is to bridge the gap between those who have and those who do not. Are we preparing them for this entrepreneurial compassion in our schools? In our churches?

The Chief Corner Stone

Christ compared himself to a testing stone, a cornerstone and a capstone. The cornerstone or Foundation Stone [H68 Eben] was an ancient Hebrew term linked to Jesus [Psalm 118:22]. It was used for an immovable stone, but also a plumb line to test the straightness of other stones in the house. A capstone was the primary stone that supported the weight of a roof or bridge and a cornerstone, the weight of the building.

We are called to support God’s people from above and below. People should be able to plumb their lives by our values and feel safe underneath our arches.

They feared the people

Here is the primary reason the political and religious leaders of Jesus’ time were ineffective. They were more worried about public opinion than doing what was right. They measured their actions by what the popularity vote would be in the moment, situational ethics instead of sustainable values.

Upon what do we base upon our primary life and leadership decisions? The moment? The crowd? What will please the crowd? What will lead people to God?

“There Came to Him”

LUKE 20:27-38

[Lk 20:27] Now there came to Him some of the Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection), [28] and they questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that IF A MAN'S BROTHER DIES, having a wife, AND HE IS CHILDLESS, HIS BROTHER SHOULD MARRY THE WIFE AND RAISE UP CHILDREN TO HIS BROTHER. [29] “Now there were seven brothers; and the first took a wife and died childless; [30] and the second [31] and the third married her; and in the same way all seven died, leaving no children. [32] “Finally the woman died also. [33] “In the resurrection therefore, which one's wife will she be? For all seven had married her.”

 [34] Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, [35] but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; [36] for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. [37] “But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB. [38] “Now He is not the God of the dead but of the living; for all live to Him.”

LUKE 20:27

Now there came to Him some of the Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection)...

Now there came to Him...

If Jesus had only stayed in Galilee…

 He would have lived a life of comfort. Galilee might have become a center of compassion while Jerusalem would have remained the center of ritual. Jesus could have set up his own corner shop and given advice to kings. He could have made an incredible living just healing daughters and sons of the wealthy. If Jesus had only remained in the region of Galilee…

 There have been many times (as I have followed the story of Jesus down this tough road to Jerusalem) that I wish that he had turned back. I wish he had turned back before he told me I have to give up everything to follow him. I wish he had turned back before he told me to hate family and friends. I wish he had turned back before he told me that I have to pick up my cross in the same way he was going to pick up his in Jerusalem. I could be a great Galilean follower – but I would never brag about my faithfulness on the road to Jerusalem.

 There are many churches and many Christians who try to worship the Galilean Jesus and ignore the Jerusalem Jesus. We have this tendency to cling to the sayings of Jesus and about Jesus – but we don’t really want to follow Jesus out of Galilee and down to Jerusalem. We don’t want to go through the intense confrontations, the betrayals of Maundy Thursday and finally to the cross on Good Friday. Yet, the cross is the inevitable precursor of the resurrection. Staying in Galilee keeps us in comfort and safety; but there is no salvation in comfort and safety. Salvation is found on the road to Jerusalem and not in the comfort of Galilee.

“Now there came to Him...”

 This reading is but one of so many constant confrontations thrown at Jesus as he gets farther from the comfort of Galilee and nearer to the cross of Jerusalem. He didn’t have to seek confrontations – they “came to him.”

 We can trust we are getting closer to the cross when our lives are filled with increasing turmoil and decreasing comfort. Closing in on the cross means your heart breaks more frequently, your body is pushed harder and Satan’s attacks pierce deeper; yet the presence of God is comparably greater (remember the gift of the transfiguration as Jesus began his march towards salvation)?

 Am I closing in on the cross or clinging to the comfort of Galilee? Am I stretched further but blessed deeper each day that I awake on this earth? As I look at the day ahead of me and say, “there came to Jerry,” will it be the comforts of Galilee or the cross of Jerusalem that I expect to encounter?

The Sadducees

The Sadducees were the deists and skeptics of their age. No one really knows where this sect originated yet they were as prevalent as the Pharisees (Acts 23:6) and were very influential members of the elders. Most likely, they sprang up under the influence of the Greeks and attempted to combine Judaic theology with Greek cynicism; proceeding to write the miraculous out of Scripture.

 They had a long history with Jesus beginning with their attacks on John the Baptist who said to them: “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Matthew 3:7.) They were also a constant presence in the condemnation of the Lord (Matthew 16:21; 26:1-3,59; Mark 8:31; 15:1; Luke 9:22; 22:66) and later would intensely attack the growing church over the resurrection of Christ (Acts 2:24,31,32; 4:1,2; 5:17,24-28). Our Lord called them “hypocrites” and “a wicked and adulterous generation” (Matthew 16:1-4; 22:23) and they seemed to serve as the “religious hit men” of the Jerusalem elders. They were the trump card the religious leaders played whenever they wanted to undermine a new prophetic “upstart” that might sway the people away from adhering to the strong religious classism, which benefited the elite of Jerusalem. They were sent first after John and then after Jesus.

 How is it that such “hypocrites” were even given a place among the religious leaders of Jerusalem? Their cynicism held influence over the religious elite to the point where our Lord was not crucified for religious reasons, but for pragmatic ones [Luke 11:49-50].

However as they gained their influence, one thing is certain: When cynics hold sway over visionaries a generation (company, school or church) has lost its purpose. Cynics now ruled Jerusalem and the heart of the faith was gone. Religion had become politics and the religious were preeminently politicians. Faith had lost the miraculous because the “religious” had found cynicism more convenient. God was dead and the law had replaced Him. However, the law without God was “pragmatisms” – a religion manipulated by the needs of the ruling class.

 The Sadducees – and their influence – represent what happens when a people choose cynicism over faith and sarcasm over joy; they miss the miraculous and dismiss the prophetic. Even more, they seek to silence the faithful and their greatest tool is cynicism.

 Where am I in this continuum of characters? Am I a prophetic voice that cynics seek to silence or am I the cynic that silences the visionaries? Have I diluted my faith of the miraculous and covered the loss with the biting inebriant of the sarcastic? Am I a deist hiding among the faithful, a sniper of the prophetic using whispers and gossip to undermine the visionary heart or am I a visionary standing firm in spite of the Sadducees of this age?

 Cynicism and sarcasm have become the impecunious substitutes for joy in our culture. They are the twin sisters that we have chosen over vision and wisdom. Sadducees are still fresh among us and increasingly powerful. Jesus would not tolerate the Sadducees in his life – he won’t tolerate them in his eternity. Whatever in my life that resembles a Sadducee; let me root it out today!

LUKE 20:28-33

[28] And they questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that IF A MAN'S BROTHER DIES, having a wife, AND HE IS CHILDLESS, HIS BROTHER SHOULD MARRY THE WIFE AND RAISE UP CHILDREN TO HIS BROTHER. [29] “Now there were seven brothers; and the first took a wife and died childless; [30] and the second [31] and the third married her; and in the same way all seven died, leaving no children. [32] “Finally the woman died also. [33] “In the resurrection therefore, which one’s wife will she be? For all seven had married her.”

“In the resurrection therefore, which one’s wife will she be? For all seven had married her.”

The Sadducees, though powerful, were basically a one trick pony. In this conversation with Jesus, they show their trump card, which was to take a teaching they disagreed with and drawing it out to a ridiculous conclusion. In this case they use the law called “Levirate Marriage” (see Genesis 38:1-26, Deuteronomy 25:5-6, and Ruth 3:1-4:12) which stated that if a man were to die without a son, his unmarried brother (or nearest male relative) should marry the widow and produce children. The first son of this marriage would be considered the heir of the dead man resulting in an heir for the family, which would have the effect of guaranteeing that the family would keep their land.

 The Sadducees not only disavowed the resurrection of the dead and the immortality of the soul, but they also discounted any teaching that wasn’t directly from the Pentateuch (Genesis through Deuteronomy). To the Pharisees constant derision, the Sadducees also denied all of the oral “Traditions of the Elders.” Finally, they denied the resurrection of the body because they could find no evidence of this teaching in the first five books of scripture. They did not approach Jesus with a desire to engage in conversation or seek deeper knowledge. The intent of their questioning was very obvious; they sought to make a fool of God’s Son on the field of mental gymnastics. Their intent is revealed in their response when Jesus reveals to them their erroneous interpretation of scripture. When a fool is confronted with evidence that his life has been built upon false beliefs, he seeks to destroy the one who brought out the truth. The fool does not seek truth; he seeks a following – at any cost. He wants adherence and he will change the information he receives and even attack the truth if it is counter to his beliefs.

 When a wise man is confronted with the evidence that his life has been built upon false beliefs; he lays down his falsehood and changes his course.

 Perhaps the greatest sin of man is deception and our greatest deception is to build personal “religions” around our falsehoods. Last night, at jail, I asked the guys; “What can we do to keep from deceiving ourselves?”

 Their answers were fairly simple.

1. Pray,

2. Study scripture

3. Serve the vulnerable

4. Confess your sins to a group that will passionately hold you accountable to the truth.

This is what will keep us from “falling back to Galilee” and focus us on continuing bravely to Jerusalem. This is what will sustain us when “they come to us.” This is what separates the fool from the wise man.

LUKE 20:34-37

“Those who are considered worthy…”

This is a difficult reading – especially if we take it out of the context of the overall reading. All too often, scriptures are horribly misinterpreted because they are quoted outside the context of their circumstances. This reading is not a condemnation of marriage nor does it extol celibacy. It is a clear statement of the natural progression of love for a Christian. The closer we get to God – the less possessive we are in our relationships.

 This reading is not a condemnation of marriage; it is a blessing of true love. True love doesn’t implode and cannot die. True love makes us increasingly like the angels — spiritual beings totally focused on serving God’s will. True love makes us into beings of light, his light.

 The Sadducees could not comprehend this. Their beliefs made them irrelevant to Christ. Their idea of love diminished the self, each time the woman in their illustration married, the concept of resurrection became more and more ridiculous to them. She was chattel, property; each time that she was passed on to another man the Sadducees claimed that she would be increasingly worthless to her new husband on earth and her old husband in heaven. Is that my image of love? Does it include possession? Is it something that “uses us up?” Do we consider people more foolish the more they give themselves away or more loving as they become increasingly vulnerable and less possessive?

 Lord, please help us to understand love through your eyes. A love that is increasingly deeper and wider.

LUKE 20:38

[37] “But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB. [38] “Now He is not the God of the dead but of the living; for all live to Him.”

“Now He is not the God of the dead but of the living; for all live to Him.”

If we understand that God is love and that love is ever-widening and ever-deepening than we can begin to understand the infinite and eternal nature of God The three “omni’s” of God

1. Omnipotent

2. Omniscient

3. Omnipresent

Then we see God evidenced in every breath of scripture and every act of creation. The Sadducees chose a different standpoint than God’s reality and proceeded to build a religion around it. Their god ruled over the dead, their god was as pragmatic as they were; their god offered no hope, just a shifting moral ground that changed with life’s circumstances. When truth was in contrast to their religion — their god and their circumstances — they sought to silence the truth through ridicule and finally state-sanctioned murder.

 Through years of scrupulously searching scriptures, they could never find a passage that contradicted their mindset. They were so sure of themselves and their beliefs. How could this be? How could there be thousands of Sadducees over dozens of decades – all of them among the finest Jewish scholars of the time – and yet, not one of them could find the passage that Jesus quotes “off the top of his head?”

 All I have to do to understand the answer to that question is realize how often my opinions have made me blind to God’s truths.

 Just as the Sadducees did not approach Jesus for clarity, they in turn, did not approach scripture for answers. They approached scripture to back up their ideology and conveniently left out the versus that might contradict their beliefs. Yet, Jesus dismantles their beliefs in one sentence.

 Jesus quotes from Exodus 3:6: He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

 God is “I AM” [H595 Ánokiy] God is the exceeding God [H430 Élohiym], God is Who Is, Was, and Will be. Ánokiy Élohiym does not mean, “I was the God of your father, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” It means “I AM.” For God to be “I am,” he must also be, “Is, was and will be.” That also means those who are “in God” are: “Is, was and will be.”

 In one sentence, Jesus dismantles the false beliefs of the Sadducees. In one sentence, our Lord reveals the omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent breadth and depth of the Exceeding God, the Eternal God. In one sentence, Jesus offers liberation to the Sadducees from their false beliefs – but do they see it as freedom? Obviously not, they scramble back to the Jerusalem counsel in order to sign our Lord’s death warrant.

 At the heart of this story is the question: What will we do if the truth of Christ reveals cracks in the façade of my ideology?

 Will the truth set us free or plunge us into darkness and rage? Will we be liberated with humility – “Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God” – or seethe with anger? Will we join the religion of cynics or seek the faith of angels?

Lord, help us choose your liberating truth

LUKE 20:39-45

39 Some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” 40 For they did not have courage to question Him any longer about anything.

41 Then He said to them, “How is it that they say *the Christ is David’s son? 42 “For David himself says in the book of Psalms,

‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,

“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,

43 UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.’”

44 “Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord,’ and how is He his son?”

45 And while all the people were listening, He said to the disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, 47 who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance's sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

They did not have courage to question Him any longer about anything

Bullies rely on two things, a victim mentality and an audience. When Jesus pushes back and the Scribes are embarrassed before the crowd. They slink away. Think of the countless people who had been subjected to their self-righteous mentality before Jesus confronted them. Using their knowledge to make people subservient before them, now they got their comeuppance.

Who do I know that bullies others with their “insiders knowledge?” How do I stand up for those unable to speak on their own behalf?

Beware of the scribes

Scribes served in both Egypt and Mesopotamia, in David’s government, they ranked just below military commanders. Perhaps the most renowned scribe was Ezra and Joshua Ben Sira, author of Ecclesiasticus; this book is commonly referred to as “An ode to the perfect scribe.”

Scribes were basically interpreters of Scriptural Law, but since the Jewish people were not to take each other to court outside of Jewish law, they basically served as attorneys in all matters of Jewish life. They were also known as sages or scholars and later as rabbis.

They condemned Jesus and his followers for breaking tradition by eating without ritual cleansing [Mark 2:16, Matthew 15:2 and Mark 7:5]. In Jeremiah 8, Scribes are condemned for their lying pen [Jeremiah 8:8].

One of the greatest assaults on the scribes is that when a man died, his wife became part of the estate, if there was an elder brother, she would go to him and he would decide what to do with her. If there were no other males, the estate went to a scribe and he would dole out to the widow whatever he thought she needed to survive. The condemnation is that they would keep the majority of the estate to themselves while the widow barely survived.

The widow was classified with the fatherless and the sojourner as deserving of special treatment [Deuteronomy 14:29, 16:11, 24:19, 26:12, Psalm 94:6]. We could judge the health of a society by how it treats these three groups — the fatherless, the sojourner and the widow — those who cannot speak on behalf of themselves.