27 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28 and they said to him, "By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?" Mark 11:27-28

The Sanhedrin's Challenge

For the third day in a row, Jesus came to the temple in Jerusalem (27). A group of religious leaders came to him. Chief priests, scribes, and the elders were there (27). These were likely members of the Sanhedrin, seventy-one men who'd been granted religious control and authority by the Roman government. They acted as a go-between for the people and Rome. And they were most certainly in charge of the temple and all the activity there. They were the authority. So they wanted to know why Jesus thought he could do all he'd done.

They asked two questions of Jesus. First, "By what authority are you doing these things?" (28). Second, "Who gave you this authority to do them? (28).

The Earthly Powers Thought They Were Authoritative over Him

The authority of Christ had struck these men. The court of the Gentiles was the portion of the temple Jesus had cleared out the day before. It was nearly 35-acres large. That's authority.

And Jesus' whole ministry was authoritative. This episode and the ones that follow it are not the only time the religious leaders tangle with Jesus in the book of Mark. They also witnessed his power in Mark's first few chapters:

• He taught with authority. In the Capernaum's synagogue, after some of his earliest teachings, they said, "What is this? A new teaching with authority!" (Mark 1:27).
• He forgave the paralyzed man let down through the roof with authority. He said, "That you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, I say, rise, pick up your bed, and go home" (Mark 2:1-12).
• When they cornered him on breaking their Sabbath regulations, he called himself the authoritative Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). Authority exuded from Christ.

But, according to their question, these men thought they were in authority over Jesus. This is often the way of man. Earthly powers think they are the judge and jury over Christ. People think their opinion of Jesus is the authoritative one. But Jesus is the authority over us. His rightful place is the first place, supremacy, over everything (Colossians 1:18).

29 Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me."

Jesus Is Above All Earthly Powers

When Jesus asked these questions, he was, rightfully, placing himself above the Sanhedrin, above these religious leaders. They thought they could come and interrogate him, but he is their superior in every way, and now he questions them.

Not an Irrelevant Response

Jesus was not dodging their question. He wasn't changing the subject. This is not a disjointed reply. It had everything to do with their question and issue.

They wanted to know where Jesus got his authority. It must have been the same place as John did. And how had they treated John? What did they think of John? Was his authority from heaven or from man? Was John fashioned and sent by God, or made by man's hype and enthusiasm? And, if John was from God, why hadn't they believed John's message? He had continually pointed to Jesus. The Spirit and the Father had shown up at John's baptism of Jesus. If John was from God, then certainly Jesus also had the authority of heaven.

31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 32 But shall we say, 'From man'?"—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet.

33 So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

We see now precisely what Jesus was up to. These men were not honest. They wondered where Jesus got his authority, but they weren't even willing to honestly consider John. So why would they honestly consider Jesus?

Jesus had put them on the horns of a dilemma. They didn't want to confess John had come from God, because John had been critical of their leadership. And they didn't want to say John had come from man, because the people all thought John had come from God, and they feared the people.

In their answer, we see two major reasons people are hindered from Christ.

The Fear of Man Keeps People from Confessing Christ

First, there is the fear of man. What will others think? How will they see me? This is certainly an issue in our modern time. I think belief in Jesus is the sanest, wisest, and most intellectually responsible thing a person could do, but, often, that is not the way society presents it. If you are a Jesus follower, there might be times you are marginalized for your faith.

For example, I think believers will experience increased economic persecution for their views. And, if you are overlooked for a promotion because of your faith or not hired in the first place because your Instagram feed shows you are a churchgoer, know you aren't the first to have endured economic hardship for Christ.

"...You joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one." (Hebrews 10:34, ESV)

But fear of this sort of thing has roots and turns into a fear of man—and the fear of man is a snare. It keeps us from honest interaction with Christ.

The Loss of Power Keeps People from Confessing Christ

A second reason people are hindered from Christ is the unwillingness to lose power. The religious leaders had authority. John had rebuked them. So had Jesus. But they weren't willing to cede their authority to Christ. Instead, they clung onto the small semblance of power they thought they had.

Today, the thought of letting Jesus become the authority and Lord of your life might scare you. But it should not. It's living without Jesus' good and gracious and merciful and powerful leadership that should scare you. It's self-leadership and self-expression that should scare you. It's personal empowerment that should scare you. Instead, you should hand the reins over to Jesus.

So don't fear others. And don't fear the loss of power. Others cannot affect your soul (Matthew 10:28). And personal power cannot get you joy and peace. Instead, be honest, declare the Lordship and authority of Christ, and submit to him.