Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Authority is a strong word, indicating the right to exercise power. The religious elites of Jesus’ time did not want anyone – even the Messiah – reducing their nearly absolute power over the people. In Mark 11:27-28, they challenge Jesus: “And they come again to Jerusalem: and as He was walking in the temple, there came to Him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, and say unto Him, ‘By what authority doest Thou these things? And who gave Thee this authority to do these things?’” We have considered previously the vast difference between asking questions of God and questioning His character. Jesus always invites us to communicate with Him, including seeking answers. The Psalms, for example, are full of such righteous interrogatives. As I often point out, James 1:5 commands us to ask God for what we need: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, [Who] giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” It is also instructive that the religious leaders could not deny the reality of “these things” that Jesus had performed. Instead of accepting “these things” as confirmation of Jesus’ Messiahship, they tried to cling to their manmade authority by concocting a cunning plan to undercut His authority through legalistic casuistry. Such machinations are doomed to failure, as we will see in the next verses.