The Authority Of Jesus

THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS

Sunday (7/21), gather with your church family as we turn our attention to Matthew’s Gospel (21:23-32).

The passage before us is from Passion Week. Two days earlier, He had entered Jerusalem to the shouting and praise of thousands of pilgrims who had come to celebrate Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

The multitude sang His praises and angered the Chief Priest, Elders, and Scribes with their adoration and worship.

Afterward, Jesus entered the Temple and promptly drove out the moneychangers, who were exploiting the poor by charging excessive amounts of money for the animals used in the Passover sacrifices.

He declared to everyone in attendance that His Father’s House was a place for all nations to come and worship, but through their greed, they had made it a den of thieves.

Jesus left Jerusalem and traveled the short distance to Bethany, where He stayed with friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. 

When He returned to the city and Temple, He preached the Gospel, taught the people, and ministered to their physical needs.

This had been His pattern of ministry since the beginning, and even though His time was ending, He didn’t think for one moment of stopping what His Father had commanded Him to do.

As He was teaching, the Chief Priest and his cronies abruptly interrupted him. They arrogantly demanded to know, “By what authority was He doing these things? And who gave Him this authority?”

They were questioning what right He had to receive worship from the multitude and who permitted Him to drive out the money changers, who were, in their minds, a necessary service for those who couldn’t bring an animal for sacrifice due to the long distance they had to travel.

The irony of their question was that they knew precisely who gave Him the authority. He had made it plain every time He was questioned that He had come from God to do God's will and make it possible for people to have fellowship with God.

So, they weren’t looking for an answer. They demanded that He stop upsetting their leadership's status quo.

How He answered His accusers not only silenced them but reaffirmed their hatred for Him and their decision to do whatever they needed to do to put Him to death.

And through their hatred, they would fulfill numerous Bible prophecies regarding Jesus’ upcoming trials, persecution, death, burial, and resurrection, including sealing their damnation.

Today, how one answers the question of Jesus’ authority will determine how one lives and, when it comes to an end, where one will spend eternity.

I look forward to our time together. Please pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the entire Calvary Chapel family.

There are several opportunities for worship: on-campus (10:00 a.m.), drive-in church (92.1fm), and online (Facebook and YouTube: Calvary Inverness).

IN HIS STRONG LOVE,

Pastor