Who Gave You This Authority?

WHO GAVE YOU THIS AUTHORITY?

Luke 20:1-26.

1. The authority of Jesus questioned (Luke 20:1-8).

This conversation follows hard on the heels of Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple (Luke 19:45-48) “Who gave you this authority?” demanded the Temple authorities, and the leaders of the people (Luke 20:1-2). Effectively, ‘Who do you think you are?’

Jesus answered their question with a question (Luke 20:3-4), a sound teaching device used by the Rabbis. He could have said, ‘Ask Peter, he knows’ - but such things are only revealed by ‘My Father which is in heaven’ (cf. Matthew 16:16-17). But to ask about the authority of John the Baptist put the ball firmly back into the court of His questioners (Luke 20:4).

The real question, after all, is who do we think Jesus is? (cf. Matthew 16:15). And, more importantly, who is He to us? On the answer to that question hinges our whole salvation, informing both our understanding and our lifestyle.

John had said, ‘Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ (cf. Matthew 3:2). Asked who he was, John answered that he was the one sent to prepare the way of the Lord (cf. John 1:23). Pointing to Jesus he declared, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world’ (cf. John 1:29).

The people understood this (Luke 20:6), yet the priests and religious leaders chose not to (Luke 20:5-7). Their ‘politically correct’ refusal to answer Jesus stripped them of their own supposed authority, and He refused to answer them while they were in that state of mind (Luke 20:8). An incredibly sad state of affairs indeed.

2. The parable of the wicked vine-dressers (Luke 20:9-19).

The first thing that we might notice about the householder in Jesus’ parable, is that having done all that He could for his vineyard, He “went into a far country for a long time” (Luke 20:9). When it seems to us that God is far off, it is not for us to shirk our duties. The time of harvest must come (Luke 20:10) - and will we be ready?

The way the householder’s workmen treated his servants is appalling. They beat one, beat another, and wounded a third (Luke 20:10-12). This stands for the reaction of the religious leaders to the prophets of old.

Then their successors, instead of reverencing the Son (Luke 20:13), sought to wrest the inheritance from His hands (Luke 20:14). They cast Him out of His own vineyard, and slew Him (Luke 20:15a). They did so ‘by the hands of wicked men,’ we are told (cf. Acts 2:23).

“What therefore shall the lord of that vineyard do?” asked Jesus (Luke 20:15b). He answered His own question, “He shall come and destroy those husbandmen and give the vineyard to others” (Luke 20:16a). The ‘vineyard’ was going to be taken from the ‘chief priests, scribes and elders’ (cf. Luke 20:1) and given to other, more worthy, custodians.

“May it not be!” exclaimed His listeners (Luke 20:16b). This is sometimes translated ‘God forbid,’ in order to catch the forceful dynamic of the expression.

“What is this then that is written?” asked Jesus (Luke 20:17-18). He quoted Psalm 118:22-23. Were they about to reject the Rock of our salvation? (cf. Isaiah 8:13-15).

Sadly, the chief priests and the scribes - recognising themselves in Jesus’ parables (Luke 20:19) - failed to take the warning. Their collective conscience was no doubt crying out in the words of Nathan of old: ‘Thou art the man’ (cf. 2 Samuel 12:7). Yet they still sought to lay malicious hands on the Son (cf. Luke 20:20).

3. On paying taxes to Caesar (Luke 20:20-26).

Wickedness finds strange bedfellows. The scribes and Pharisees denied the Emperor any right to demand tribute money - and whilst they no doubt used the common money for common purposes, they questioned the validity of the coinage (which attributed to Caesar the status of a god). The Herodians and the chief priests were fawning collaborators. A desire to “take hold of” Jesus’ words (Luke 20:20) led to an unprecedented alliance between these two parties.

Flattery sometimes speaks truth. The flattering words which fell from the lips of these “spies” (as Luke calls them), were nevertheless true (Luke 20:21).

(a) “We know that thou sayest and teachest rightly” (cf. John 1:17).

(b) “Neither acceptest thou the person of any” [i.e. Jesus is no respecter of persons (cf. Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11).]

c) You “teach the way of God truly” (cf. John 14:6).

“Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” (Luke 20:22) was a question designed to trip Jesus up. If he said, ‘no’ - the priests would denounce Him to the Romans as a seditionist. If He answered, ‘yes’ - the scribes would discredit Him before the people as a collaborator.