Lent Reading: Week 5, Day 2 (April 9)

Reading: Luke 19:45-20:8

⁴⁵ When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. ⁴⁶ “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

⁴⁷ Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. ⁴⁸ Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.

One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. ² “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”

³ He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: ⁴ John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

⁵ They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”

⁷ So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.”

⁸ Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

Reflection

Sometimes it seems like Jesus is a "loose canon." Sometimes it seems like he is a "lone ranger," just doing his own thing. Sometimes it seems like his actions are random or their only intention is to frustrate others and alienate hime from others.

Certainly Jesus "driving out those who were selling" in the temple courts seems to be one of these kinds of events. Why not simply talk to others in a nice, calm and cool manner? Why not simply "picket" outside of the temple courts bringing attention to the unrighteous acts going on in the temple courts? Why does Jesus have to do this violent and abrasive act?

We should point out that Jesus is not acting against the temple nor even against the tradition and customs of the temple. Rather he is violenting opposed to those who make the "house of prayer" into a "house of commerce." The selling was keeping some from the act of prayer. Some scholars suggest that the sellers had set up in the "Gentile court" and so we keeping especially non-Jewish people from prayer and worship.

When Jesus (literally) overtruns these unrighteous religious practices (Luke 19:46) that people demand a response (Luke 20:1-2). And this is not a wrong question to ask. It is actually a great question to ask: "Tell us by what authority you are doing these things? Who gave you this authority?”

This is the kind of question we should be asking of all that Jesus does: "By what authority does Jesus teach as he does?" "By what authority does his heal and blind and lame?" "By what authority does Jesus calm the storm?" By what and by whose authority?

And Jesus does want to tell those who are asking this question. But first he has a question of authority for them: "John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

And I think Jesus' rationale for asking this question is the following: It seems impossible for those who are "wishy washy" (lukewarm) to hear and receive the good news of the Kingdom. Wishy washy people are unable to make decisions about others. So if Jesus tells them by what authority he is doing these things they will not be able to really hear and believe because their hearts are too wishy washy.

The person and ministry of Jesus always demands a decisive response. Wishy washy people do not respond to Jesus. 

May we not be like the wishy washy religious leaders but rather have hearts that can respond decisively to Jesus.