Mark 11:27-33
A
lot is made of security these days. Ever since 9/11 our awareness of and use of
security has skyrocketed. Who knows how much money is spent on security as a result
of 9/11 worldwide. This is just one of the hidden costs of Islam. And even with
all this security, terror continues to spread. And now with our southern border
being flooded and people being distributed nationwide by our government without
any ID’s, who knows how many terrorists we have put in place for the next
attack!
For
any action to take place, there must be an authority trail. Someone said it was
OK to do whatever is being done. Stopping people in a Mall and questioning them
about what they are doing comes under the authority of the Mall Security
people. If you get stopped on the highway, the authority comes from the State
Highway Patrol. If you are hurting your family, local police and the Protective
Services have authority to intervene. If you break the law, the courts have
authority.
Jesus
and His disciples have entered Jerusalem for the third time in as many days.
This time Jesus is confronted by the religious leaders. They want to know the kind
and the source of His authority. They what to know who told Him He could do and
teach what He was.
Of
course Jesus on His own didn’t have the normal lines of authority that the
three groups who approached Him had. They were the top officials in religious
matters. The chief priests were charged with making sure the Temple worship
went according to God’s plan. If it happened in the Temple, they were the
holders of the authority in that area.
The
next group were the teachers of the law. They were given authority to teach the
Law to the people. If anyone was going to be teaching, they had to get
permission from this body. If the Law was not taught correctly, they were the
ones responsible.
The
last group who came together to question Jesus about His authority were the
elders. They were the ones charged with being the court system for religious
matters.
Jesus
has stepped into all three of these areas. He has been stepping all over their
toes. He cleared the Temple of non-Temple activities. The priests would have
been upset. Their customers would have complained to them about what Jesus did
to their booths and tables. Jesus cleared the area of all commercial activity.
He wanted to return it to its rightful place, a place of prayer for all nations.
Jesus
stepped on the teachers of the law. He was teaching the people that these
religious leaders had gotten it all wrong, that they were in error in how they
understood and applied the Scriptures. Jesus wasn’t afraid to point out the
contrasts between what they said and what the Scriptures said. And the people believed
Jesus.
And
finally He stepped on the elders’ authority. He was making judgments about the
application of the law. He was discussing marriage and divorce, for example.
When
was the last time Jesus stepped on your toes, questioned what you were doing
and why? Maybe it is time to listen.