"By What Authority Doest Thou These Things?"


Matthew 21:23The question of our text arose when Jesus,
the Son of God, was teaching in the city of Jerusalem in the temple shortly before his death.
On the day before, he had gone into the temple and had thrown out the moneychangers and
had upset their tables. This enraged the chief priests and scribes. They viewed it as a
challenge to their authority, which in truth it was. Therefore, they came to Jesus as he was
teaching, and asked him the questions: "By what authority doest thou these things?" and
"Who gave thee this authority?"

They knew where Jesus got his authority, but they would not admit it. To acknowledge the
true and living God as his authority would have been to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of
God and the Messiah, and they were determined not to do that. But the question was a
legitimate question, and Jesus promised to answer it if they would answer only one question:
"The baptism of John, whence was it, from heaven or of men?" (ML 21:25).

Now if the Pharisees admitted that John was a heaven-sent messenger, then John had
already answered their question because John had pronounced Jesus as the Lamb of God,
and greater than himself! Therefore, if they wanted to know the source of Jesus' authority, all
they had to do was to believe John the Baptist. On the other hand, if they denied the claims of
John in the face of almost universal conviction, what point was there in presenting further
evidence?

Of course, Jesus derived his authority from God. Jesus said, "All power (authority) is given
unto me in heaven and in earth" (Mt. 28:18). To listen to Jesus' words was to be convinced of
his authority.

And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his
doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes (Mt. 7:28-29).

Jesus proved he had authority. He healed the lame, the diseased, and the palsied. He caused
the deaf to hear, the blind to see, and the mute to speak. He calmed the storms, hushed the
raging sea, and fed thousands with a few loaves and fishes. He called the dead back to life.
His power
caused a ruler named Nicodemus to say: "Rabbi, we know that thou art, a teacher come from
God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him" (Jn. 3:2).

This is one of the greatest questions in the world today. The question of authority! It is a
legitimate question, so let me ask you: "By what authority do you do the things you do? Who
gave you this authority?" Surely, on every hand, we can see the need for authority. For
example, men do not always see things the same way and disputes arise and conflicts
abound over our rights and privileges. How are those disputes and conflicts resolved? We
have established civil courts. We can even appeal to the Supreme Court which is the final
authority of the land.

Authority In Business

In the business world, there is a need for authority. When I go to the grocery store to buy
sugar, how do I know that I am getting 16 ounces to the pound? There might be a set of
scales in the store, but how do I know they are correct? In the National Bureau of the
Standards at Washington, there is a standard set up for all weights and measures. This office
regulates the production of all scales and containers so that they conform to the standard
before they ever get to the merchant.