Why Should We Listen To You? Series

CHAPTER BY CHAPTER THRU LUKE

Why Should We Listen to You?

LUKE 20:1-8

#justJesus

INTRODUCTION… Why are you our professor? (p)

Several years ago, I was teaching at Florida Christian College on the first day of class and I introduced myself a little and went over the syllabus and went over the expectations of the class and previewed what we would do. It was a public speaking class and so I touched on how I would help with nerves and all of that. After I talked for a while, I asked if there were any questions. A student in the back row raised his hand. Now usually questions from the back row can be a little frustrating because most of the time back-row-students do not pay attention and so I was prepared for a question about something I had already covered and would have to repeat.

His question was not silly or ill-conceived or something I had not technically covered. It was also not a question any student had ever asked. He asked: “Why are you our professor?” That is a solid question. That is a worthy question. It was such a worthy question that I now answer it each and every class that I teach.

So, let’s pretend that it is the first day of COM101 at IVY Tech where I currently teach and you have enrolled in the Public Speaking Class. “Why am I your professor?” First, I have the education to be your professor. I spent 20 years in school and have achieved the terminal degree of PhD. “Terminal” means “it all most killed me” and also one cannot get a higher educational degree. My PhD is in communications and so I have the book-learnin’ to teach our subject.

Second, this is not my first time teaching or my first university I have taught at. I taught for many years at a school called Florida Christian College which then became Johnson University where I taught public speaking in class and online… just like this class!

Third, I have the practical experience to teach this class. In my real life, because this is one of my side gigs, I am a Christian minister at a church in Greene County. All total I have been a minister for over 25 years and so I have the weekly practical experience of speaking to crowds. Be comforted that as you prepare your 5-minute speeches for this class, I too am preparing a 30-minute speech from scratch for my congregation each and every week. So, I have the education, the teaching experience, and the practical experience to be your professor.

I have found over the years, that answering the question, “Why am I your professor?” enables me to be an effective teacher because the students understand that I really do know what I am talking about and have greater respect for me because I actually do what I teach rather than just teach it.

TRANSITION

The passage that we are going to look at today in Luke 20 has a similar question asked of Jesus Christ. Jesus is popular and the crowds are following Him. We discussed this last week when we talked about Zacchaeus in chapter 19. There were tons of folks following Jesus listening to His parables, taking in all His lessons, and spreading the word about His miracles. He was seen as a spiritual and religious authority and the spiritual and religious authorities did not like this one single bit. They come to Him with a significant question.

Let’s read about the question and what happens at the beginning of Luke 20.

READ LUKE 20:1-8

One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up 2 and said to Him, “Tell us by what authority You do these things, or who it is that gave You this authority.” 3 He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell Me, 4 was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” 5 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From man,’ 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, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

VERSES 1-2: THE QUESTION

In the first two verses of this passage, we find that various religious leaders of Jesus’ day given the titles of chief priests, scribes, and elders who were all were taking issue with Jesus. They wanted Him to prove how and why He has the authority to teach and heal and direct people to God. They are basically asking the question: “Why should we listen to You?”