SERMON TITLE: Jesus, who's the authority?
TEXT: Mark 11:12-12:12, 35-37 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 10-17-21
You can watch the sermon here.
You can find the sermon notes here.
As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshipping with us for the first time or are joining us at our North Main campus — the one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too.
Each week — in the gospel of Mark — we’re seeing people ask Jesus all kinds of questions. And their questions are what we’re focusing on — because — we’ve all got questions. Questions about life, about spiritual things, about relationships, and so on. And the questions — we see people asking Jesus — in Mark’s gospel — are questions many of us are still asking today.
So let’s turn to our passage and see which question Jesus will be asked this week. If you have your Bible please turn with me to Mark chapter 11. We’ll be starting in verse 12 and reading into chapter 12 — so quite a few more verses than usual. And the question Jesus will be asked — this week — is about a topic that — Christian or not — we’re finding front and center in our nation. This topic seems to be in our faces all the time these days. What’s the topic — what’s the question? Here’s our question. Jesus, who is the authority? That’s our question for today — Jesus, who’s the authority?
We’re in Mark chapter 11. Beginning in verse 12.
“On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they went out of the city.
20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
27 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28 and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” 31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, ‘From man’?” — they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
12:1 And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. 2 When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. 6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this Scripture: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 11 this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” 12 And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.”
And in verse thirty-five we read, “And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? 36 David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ 37 David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.” (Mark 11:12-12:12, 35-37 ESV)
So here’s where we’re headed as we answer our question, “Jesus, who’s the authority?” But first — spoiler alert — I’m going to give you his answer now. Jesus’ answer to our question is this: All authority belongs to God alone. Who’s the authority? God is the authority.
Now my guess is that some of us will agree with Jesus’ answer and others of us might not. So know that Jesus is going to defend his answer and — in doing so — he’s going to make it clear that he’s the God to whom all authority belongs. So it’s not some generic god that’s the authority — Jesus is going to show us that he’s the One with the authority. And he’ll do this as he confronts the religious leaders of his day in the Temple — which is the symbolic location of spiritual authority for the Jewish people. So — keep this picture in mind. Jesus is saying that he has all authority to the religious leaders of his day — who thought they were the authority — in the Temple — the place that symbolizes spiritual authority.
And — as Jesus answers our question — we’re going to see three things. We’re going to see the reach of his authority — what does it mean that all authority belongs to Jesus? We’re going to see rebellion against his authority — not everyone is keen on Jesus being their authority. And — finally — we’ll see the cost of his authority. And — this one is a bit unexpected — but Jesus’ authority comes at a great personal cost.
So let’s begin by returning to verse 12 to discover the reach of Jesus’ authority. Verse 12.
“On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. And let’s skip to verse 20. As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”” (Mark 11:12-14, 20-25 ESV)
Here we see the reach of Jesus’ authority — and what a crazy sounding story this is! If you’re following Mark’s timeline — yesterday — Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. And — after inspecting the Temple — he and the disciples leave Jerusalem for the town of Bethany. And now they’re headed back to Jerusalem. And — on their walk to the city — Jesus sees a fig tree.
And — I’m sure you’re wondering — “Why did Jesus get upset about the fig tree lacking figs — when it wasn’t the right season for figs?” One Bible scholar writes, “The fig tree was one of the most common fruit trees in Israel. Its leaves sprout in late March and fall off in the late fall. Normally it yields two harvests. The second and later harvest of figs takes place between mid-August and mid-October. In the fall, the fig tree develops buds that remain undeveloped until early spring, when they swell into green knops. The leaves of the fig tree develop after this. The knops, which are edible, develop into the earlier harvest [from the fig trees]. It was these early green knops that Jesus apparently looked for.” (Robert H. Stein, Mark (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2008).) So “the fig season” that Mark says it’s not the season for — is the second harvest — the one that comes later in the year. But there is a first season for fruit from the trees — that’s the fruit Jesus is looking for — that’s the fruit he doesn’t find.
“Well, OK. But this still seems kind of weird, Josh. Was Jesus just hangry or something?” He’s not hangry — he’s teaching his disciples a spiritual lesson. So what’s the lesson?
We’ve seen Jesus teach using parables previously in Mark — and he uses a parable in some verses we’ll look at in a few minutes. But — in case you’ve forgotten — parables are stories intended to teach a moral or spiritual lesson. A few weeks ago I spoke at the University of Findlay’s Revive ministry. They were beginning a series on the parables of Jesus and I was asked to sort of set the stage and help the students understand what parables are and why Jesus used them. And one of the characteristics — of Jesus’ parables — is how he uses everyday life — ordinary — kind of stuff in his parables. And — often — there’s some kind of farming or harvesting or agricultural theme — since this was a very familiar topic for the people listening to Jesus.
I bring all of this up because — here — with the fig tree — Jesus is kind of telling a parable — just not in story form — he’s teaching using the world around him. And the point of this spiritual lesson — him cursing the fig tree — and the disciples later going by the same tree and finding it withered — the point of this lesson is to show his disciples the reach of his authority. What’s the reach — or the extent — of his authority? Well…Jesus can curse a fig tree — causing it to wither and die. But Jesus is wanting us to see something more here — remember this is like a parable — so though we see his authority over nature — remember — he’s teaching the disciples a spiritual lesson.
As one author writes, “Israel, like the fig tree, appeared to be thriving; but the appearances were deceiving because Israel and the fig tree were bearing no fruit. The magnificence of the temple masked the corruption and false security associated with it. Just as the fig tree was cursed and withered, so Israel was about to be condemned and [will] decline in importance.” (Thomas Constable, “Notes on Mark,” https://planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/pdf/mark.pdf.)
Now the disciples aren’t making the connection yet — between the fig tree and Israel. They’re in shock of what’s happened to the fig tree — how quickly it withered and died. And if we remember how the disciples have been confused about why Jesus is wanting to go to Jerusalem — they keep thinking it’s because he’s going to kick the Romans out of power and establish his Kingdom. Yet Mark sandwiches what comes next — Jesus cleansing the temple — between these two stories about the fig tree to show his readers — and us — that Israel is the fig tree. Here’s the spiritual lesson. Israel appears to be healthy and vibrant — and yet — there’s no spiritual fruit. Thus a warning from Jesus. The people of Israel will be cursed and wither away — just like the fig tree — if they don’t submit to his authority.
And Jesus tells the disciples to have faith — not a “believe in me for salvation faith” — a faith that comes after belief. This faith is what the nation of Israel has failed to keep. A faith where the people of God keep believing in God and live in response to their belief. They are to keep remembering that living for the glory of God alone is the goal of their salvation. Israel — as we’ll see in a moment — repeatedly abandons its relationship with God. They want all of the benefits of being the people of God without the relationship and expectations that come with being God’s people. And so they do what we do today — they change the expectations of the relationship so their consciences are clear — all while God is ready to wipe them out.
The expectation — that Jesus highlights here — in our verses — is that we are to continue having faith in God. Have faith in God. Live under Christ’s authority and do everything in our lives with one purpose and goal in mind: that Christ would be glorified. This is what Jesus is describing in verses twenty-three to twenty-five — with the whole “throwing a mountain into the sea” stuff. He’s describing a life that glorifies and magnifies the beauty and authority of Christ — where his people — people saved by grace through faith — people who claim to have pledged their allegiance to he who is their Savior and King — a life of walking by faith and obeying Christ’s commands — all while submitting to his loving authority — is the life that the people of God today are to live.
But not everyone submits to his authority and lives for his glory. Which leads us to verse 15 and the rebellion against Jesus’authority.
“And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they went out of the city. And let’s skip down to verse 27. 27 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28 and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” 31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” And in chapter 12 — beginning in verse 35 we read, “And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? 36 David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ 37 David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.” (Mark 11:15-19, 27-33, 12:35-37 ESV)
It’s here that we find our question — a question asked by Jesus’ opponents. “By what authority are you doing these things? Jesus, who gave you the authority to do all this?” It’s what they ask him after he goes in and sweeps the Temple clean. The religious leaders — Jesus’ opponents — question his authority.
Now — we all have a natural tendency to question authority, don’t we? We find ourselves living in a cultural tension — cultural chaos really — where our default position is to reject authority all while being in desperate need of it. We see rejection of authority in mass protests and in the breaking of or ignoring laws. We see rejection of authority when people say “so and so isn’t my president” and rejection of authority seen in rebellious children. Let’s go with that example — it’s probably the least offensive. Parents, did any of you need to teach your child to rebel? Did you wake up — one day — and think, “You know, my child needs a lesson on rebellion today?” No! Rebellion against your authority is natural, right? What do you have to teach your child? Obedience, right?
Rejecting authority is natural to us — from the womb. Yet we’re in desperate need of it. Thus we turn to social media influencers and celebrities and athletes as our authorities on all kinds of things that we know they’re not really an expert in. But being an expert isn’t what’s valued — choosing who’s our authority — no matter how silly the criteria may be — that’s what we value as a society. We want to choose who’s our authority.
Now — this is understandable when we think of the many times we’ve seen someone in authority abuse their power. Where — instead of using their authority to protect others — authority was used to abuse others. And — Christian or not — we want to stand up to this kind of abuse of authority — we stand up and reject those who use their authority in this way.
But we find ourselves living in some sort of crazy cycle where — everyone is doing everything we can to avoid being a victim of someone else’s abusive authority. And this has led us to do everything we can to not be the one without power and authority. Many — these days — reject any and all authority over them. Others make themselves out to be an informal authority over everyone else— no one can tell them what to do— no one has an opinion they need to listen to — but everyone must listen to them. Maybe you know someone like that.
And why is this going on? Because no one likes to be ruled by others — especially by others who don’t have our best interest in mind.
And this rebellion isn’t something just true of us — in fact — rebelling against authority — rebelling against God’s authority — is something we find as a recurring theme in the history of the people of God. The book of Judges — found in the Old Testament — is basically one long history of the people of God rebelling against his authority and suffering the consequences for doing so. The books of 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings, 1st and 2nd Chronicles are records of a long history of rebellious priests and spiritual leaders and rebellious and wicked kings ruling over the people of God. And there’s much in these books about the people rebelling against God’s authority. We have a long history of rebelling against authority of all kinds — including God’s authority.
Yet the Christian faith shows us that God is our authority — not just for Christians — but for everyone. And the Christian faith informs us that he — God — uses his authority for our good — he doesn’t use his authority against us. He rules over us — yet — but he does so with our best interest in mind — this is the heart of the gospel. That God used his authority to send his Son to offer salvation to people who’ve rejected his authority. Though we rejected God’s authority — he used his authority for our good in sending his Son to love us by dying for us. This is the grace of the gospel!
And — in Mark — in our verses — have you noticed how often the Temple is mentioned? This is the place where the presence and authority of God was to dwell for the Jewish people. And yet they’ve turned the symbol of God’s presence and authority into a marketplace full of shady business. And it shouldn’t surprise us that this conflict — over the authority of Christ — takes place in and around the Temple because Jesus has come to make the Temple obsolete.
What do I mean? Well — previously — God’s presence dwelled in the Temple. But — now — “in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.” (Colossians 2:9 NLT) Previously, the Temple represented the place where Heaven and earth met — but — in Christ and his incarnation — in Christ Heaven and earth have met for our salvation. “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see — such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. 17 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. 18 Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. 19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20 and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.” (Colossians 1:15-20 NLT)
God used his authority to make peace with everything — including us— “by means of Christ’s blood on the cross” — which leads us to the cost of Jesus’ authority. We’re in Mark chapter 12 — beginning in verse 1.
“And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. 2 When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. 6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this Scripture: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 11 this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” 12 And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.” (Mark 12:1-12 ESV)
Jesus is the beloved Son of God — sent with all the authority of God — sent to be respected by all of creation — sent to call back those who had strayed far from God — sent to bring peace and hope and joy to all people. And just like the son — in the parable — instead of receiving Christ and his authority as the Son of God — we murdered him. And he — Jesus — submitted himself to our ‘thirsty for blood’ hands.Yet even this was the Lord’s doing — the Lord’s will — even our murder of Christ was in submission to the authority of God.
And — in his death — Jesus demonstrates — once again — the extent of his authority. Though it cost him his life — through his resurrection — Jesus shows us that even death must submit to his authority. And if death is submitted to the authority of Christ — what hope there is for the people of God — what hope for those who submit their lives to him! For death has been defeated by the One who holds all authority.
In some of his last words to his disciples — Jesus tells them — “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:18-20 NLT)
Christ has all authority — in heaven and on earth. And the One with all authority has commanded us to now go and make disciples of all nations — to baptize them — to teach them to obey all the commands that Jesus — in all his authority — has given to us.
Who’s the authority? Jesus is the One with all the authority. He is the One to whom we bow our knees and submit our lives. And — we do so — with great hope and peace and confidence — not with fear or worry that he’ll abuse us with his authority. For his authority cost him his life — as he submitted himself to the authority of his Father in Heaven — who sent him to die for our sins because of his love for us.
Who wouldn’t want to submit their life to someone who loves them like this — who was willing to submit himself to death — in love — for you? Will you submit your life to him who has demonstrated his love for you? Will you submit yourself to his authority — which has your best interests in mind? Let’s pray.
Father, you are gracious, loving, and kind. And I pray that all who hear my voice would joyfully submit their lives to you and your authority. Rebelling against you leads to an eternal curse — submitting our lives to you leads to eternal joy.
Spirit of God, we are so prone to doubt that you are good and kind, and gracious. We’re so used to distrusting authority and rebelling against it. We need you to change our hearts, minds, and attitudes towards your authority so we stop rebelling and — with great peace and hope — submit to your authority. Trusting that who you say you are — in your Word to us — is who you are.
And — Jesus — we thank you for submitting yourself to your Father’s authority even at the cost of your life. You could curse a fig tree and it withered and died which shows us that you had all the power needed to defeat those wanting to murder you without being hung on a cross. And — yet — in love for us — and in submission to your Father’s will — you did not use your authority to destroy us. Instead, you used your authority to destroy Satan, sin, death, and Hell. And — in response — may we — submit our lives to you. It’s in your name that we pray. Amen.
Having submitted to Christ and his authority — may you go eager to follow him and his will for your life. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
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