As hard as it may seem to those of us who are in Christ and who respect His authority, this was not always the case. In Matthew 21:23-27, Matthew records what I like to refer to as Jesus' encounter with the "imbecile brigade":
23. And when He entered the Temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?"
24. Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you a question; and if you tell Me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25. The baptism of John, whence was it? From Heaven or from men?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From Heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 26. But if we say, 'From men,' we are afraid of the multitude; for all hold that John was a prophet." 27. So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
The above question from the chief priests and the elders asking Jesus by what authority was He doing the things He was doing was utter foolishness. These were the religious leaders of their day. It would have been one thing to query Jesus thusly if He had just walked into the Temple at the beginning of His ministry that very moment, but it was the third year of His service among the people on the Earth when this question was asked of Jesus, and He had not been hiding in a corner. It would have taken a complete imbecile to be ignorant as to the Source of Jesus’ authority. Jesus had performed many works of His Father during these three years that spoke directly as to Who was the Source of His power and authority. He had healed all manner of diseases, He had miraculously fed thousands upon thousands in the countryside, He had made the blind to see and the lame from birth to rise up and walk, and He had recalled from death itself several individuals.
God the Father has all power and He gave that power to Jesus. Jesus has the authority to rule, He has the authority to judge, He has the authority to teach, He has the authority to forgive, and He has the authority to do much, much more. The Scriptures teach quite clearly and unequivocally that Jesus is the Son of God. He is superior to the angels and He is heir to all things (Hebrews 1:2). He is the One Who made the universe (Colossians 1:16), and only He exhibits the radiant magnificence of God's glory, the exact representation of the Father's splendor. Not only is He the Creator of the universe, it is He Who sustains all things by His powerful word (Hebrews 1:3). It is His sacrifice that bought about our purification from sin (Hebrews 9:25-26), and the Father has raised Him to where He is now sitting at the right hand of God in Heaven, angels and authorities and powers all subject to Him (1 Peter 3:22). He truly is Immanuel, God with us.
23. And when He entered the Temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?"
24. Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you a question; and if you tell Me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25. The baptism of John, whence was it? From Heaven or from men?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From Heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 26. But if we say, 'From men,' we are afraid of the multitude; for all hold that John was a prophet." 27. So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
The above question from the chief priests and the elders asking Jesus by what authority was He doing the things He was doing was utter foolishness. These were the religious leaders of their day. It would have been one thing to query Jesus thusly if He had just walked into the Temple at the beginning of His ministry that very moment, but it was the third year of His service among the people on the Earth when this question was asked of Jesus, and He had not been hiding in a corner. It would have taken a complete imbecile to be ignorant as to the Source of Jesus’ authority. Jesus had performed many works of His Father during these three years that spoke directly as to Who was the Source of His power and authority. He had healed all manner of diseases, He had miraculously fed thousands upon thousands in the countryside, He had made the blind to see and the lame from birth to rise up and walk, and He had recalled from death itself several individuals.
God the Father has all power and He gave that power to Jesus. Jesus has the authority to rule, He has the authority to judge, He has the authority to teach, He has the authority to forgive, and He has the authority to do much, much more. The Scriptures teach quite clearly and unequivocally that Jesus is the Son of God. He is superior to the angels and He is heir to all things (Hebrews 1:2). He is the One Who made the universe (Colossians 1:16), and only He exhibits the radiant magnificence of God's glory, the exact representation of the Father's splendor. Not only is He the Creator of the universe, it is He Who sustains all things by His powerful word (Hebrews 1:3). It is His sacrifice that bought about our purification from sin (Hebrews 9:25-26), and the Father has raised Him to where He is now sitting at the right hand of God in Heaven, angels and authorities and powers all subject to Him (1 Peter 3:22). He truly is Immanuel, God with us.
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