Christ Lutheran Church: Welcome

Authority - September 28, 2008

Authority

Matthew 21:23-32, Philippians 2:1-13

September 28, 2008

Rev. Dave R. Garwick

I would like to spend a few minutes here focusing on the Gospel Lesson which was the Bible Focus that was read at the very beginning of the service.

This was another one of those show downs between Jesus and the chief priests - where the chief priests were challenging Jesus by essentially saying "Who do you think you are?" "Who made YOU God?" "Oh, yeah? Says who?"

And because we are on the side of Jesus, we automatically know that the chief priests and the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the scribes were the "bad" guys.

But in this show down, what they specifically said was this: "By what AUTHORITY are you doing these things? And who gave you this AUTHORITY?"

In my opinion, those were very legitimate questions - critical questions. When Mormons come a knockin' and tell us all kinds of things about Jesus, that is the question I want to ask them: "By what AUTHORITY are you teaching these things?"

When Muslims or Jews say that Jesus is not God, we should ask them, "by what AUTHORITY are you teaching these things?"

When a judgmental Christian says that you are not really a Christian, they need to be challenged, "By what AUTHORITY are you saying this?"

Every once in a while I get accosted by some self-proclaimed prophet who "prophesies" that by such and such a date, this or that is going to happen. I HAVE to challenge them, "By what AUTHORITY are you teaching these things?" They have always been wrong. When some so-called evangelist is spouting strange ideas, when some character is claiming that he is the returned Jesus Christ, we had better ask them, "By what AUTHORITY are you teaching things?"

Scripture itself TELLS us to test the spirits.

So, those religious leaders who were responsible for keeping the faith that had been handed down for centuries had every responsibility to ask Jesus, "By what AUTHORITY are you doing these things? And who gave you this AUTHORITY?"

So the problem was not the questions. The problem was the hypocrisy of those asking the questions. If their problem was with the authority of Jesus, then why did they not obey the authority of God himself? That's when Jesus told the parable about the two sons whose father asked them to go do their chores. The one who said he would obey failed to do so while the other one who balked at it nevertheless did obey. So which of those brothers respected their father's authority? Jesus was saying to chief priests, "So if you're really so concerned about authority, then why don't YOU follow the authority of God himself?"

It's like people saying that the church cannot afford its budget while they have made a big point about cutting back their own contributions...or the person who complains about a church not doing this or that with its teenagers while doing nothing to improve the program, or the person who complains about a church not being welcoming as he himself sneaks out the side door. When a person goes on and on about some particular flaw in others that really describes what they know is wrong with themselves, psychologists call this "projection". It can be a nifty way to read another's mind!

But if asked sincerely, the authority question is always a good one. And here is the strange thing. Regardless of the actual authority that someone has been given, it is only effective if others grant it. That is the strange grace of the Father: He give Jesus the authority but He give YOU the power to grant it or refuse it. He does not force His authority on us.

As the apostle Paul said in his epistle to the Philippians, "God exalted Jesus to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Now THAT's authority.

But WHY did the Father give the Son all that authority? Because "He made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!"

For many people, "authority" is a negative word and it is one of the best excuses of why people refuse to worship God in "organized religion." "I just hate all the rules. I don't like being told what to do. It's my decision and nobody else's."

But Jesus' authority is not about forcing things on people. With all that authority given Him, Jesus would not force His authority on anyone. So the chief priests were free to challenge His authority. And they were free to reject His authority...and His love, and His grace, and His forgiveness and maybe even eternal joy.

And Jesus lays His authority on us the very same way: He allows us to freely grant Him authority in our lives or refuse Him authority in our lives - His love, His grace, His benefits, His forgiveness, His eternal presence.

May we choose to grant Him authority.