PONDERING... Why doesn't Jesus answer them? (Mark 11:27-33)

Why Doesn’t Jesus Answer Them? (PM Lesson Outline)

GIST: Though there are clever ways to be foolish, Jesus is the ultimate authority of all people.

SCRIPTURE: Mark 11:27-33

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.”

I just want to look at a short passage tonight (maybe a bit of a reprieve from this morning ☺). After the scene we saw this morning, where Jesus curses the fig tree and runs off the corrupt dealings in the temple, we encounter a familiar scenario: the religious elite come to question Jesus...to stump Him.

This time, they come asking Him about His authority. We can understand this, right? He’s made some very bold claims and has been acting very boldly, as well. He came parading into town as the Messiah King who came to bring true and lasting peace. Then, He came into the temple flipping tables and running off cattle accusing the religious authorities of the day of rejecting the purposes of God in favor of selfish interests. That’s the most immediate context for the question. It’s a “what gives you the right” kind of question.

Of course, it was also an attempted trap...again. He wasn’t a classically trained rabbi, so He had no official backing from the religious elite to be teaching anything...let alone teaching like He did. So, they tried to call Him on this. Jesus knows exactly what they’re doing, however, and does not fall into their game. And while it might seem like He’s dodging their question, He isn’t. He knows they know the answer to this question. They don’t want to accept it as true, but they’ve heard Him say it plenty of times before. So, instead of playing into their hand, Jesus calls them on their cowardice.

He asks them a question as an incentive. Tell me where John the Baptist’s baptism came from, and I’ll answer your question. It’s a question He knew they couldn’t answer. Why? Because they had to save face. What they considered to be the answer, John the Baptist had no authority and his baptism was meaningless, would put them at odds with popular opinion. However, popular opinion, and the truth, said John the Baptist’s authority was from God and his baptism pointed to a call, from God, to repent. To admit this was to admit that Jesus was also Christ, because John the Baptist said as much! (John 1:29 “29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”) Therefore, they opt to lie and say, “We don’t know.”

It’s in that context that Jesus refuses to answer them. Not because He’s afraid to, or keeping a secret from them, but because the whole implication of this encounter is: “Why are you asking Me what you already know?!”

TAKEAWAYS

Reading this, two takeaways came to mind. Giving credit where it is due, I must admit I got the wording for the first one from Steve Wilmhurst (It was too good not to use ☺!)

1. There are clever ways to be foolish.

1a. Implications in Evangelism. Again, I got this from Wilmhurst, and he was very pointed.

“Usually, people who present an intellectual or academic objection to the Christian faith are concealing a much more basic problem in their hearts – the problem that they simply refuse to believe. The basic reason why men and women will not accept the authority of the King is not in their brains, but in their hearts. It’s not that they don’t understand – it’s the problem of their stubborn will. As Christians trying to reach people, we need to realise that. This delegation already have the answers they need. They have spent the past two years investigating Jesus – Mark has told us this. All the evidence to identify Jesus accurately is there, and they refuse to see it! Today, many unbelievers stand in the Temple courts with that hostile delegation. They long for people’s respect, and fear they will lose it. They want to be accepted – what a powerful driver that is – and so they will not entertain the claims of King Jesus.”-- Ransom For Many, Steve Wilmhurst

Don’t worry about being outsmarted or outsmarting when sharing the gospel. Everyone’s core issues are heart problems, not head problems. Be faithful in your proclamation of the truth. Don’t worry about not having all the answers. Yes, by all means, give yourself over to the faithful and diligent study of God’s word. This is not an excuse for theological laziness. However, when presented with pseudo-intellectual arguments, don’t be deceived or afraid.

1b. Don’t put your reputation before His! Don’t we? Think of how you interact at work, or school, or with your family and friends. What if standing for Christ isn’t the popular option? Interestingly, the youth’s lesson for tonight was about Paul confronting Peter for snubbing the Gentiles when the Jewish elite were in town. At core, our default mode is to do exactly what these religious leaders did to Jesus: saving face instead of embracing the Savior!

2. Jesus is our authority...and everyone else’s.

2a. Follow Him. He is your authority. There is none above Him. Is that how you’re living?

2b. Point to Him. He is everyone’s authority. There is none above Him. Just be faithful in pointing to that truth, and, please, pray that I am too.