“Hey Jesus – Who Do You Think You Are, Anyway?”
Matthew 21:23-27
July 20, 2008
NOTE: THE ME/WE/GOD/YOU/WE FORMAT USED IN MY MESSAGES IS BORROWED FROM ANDY STANLEY’S BOOK, "COMMUNICATING FOR A CHANGE."
We: How many times have you been caught by surprise by someone asking you why you believe what you do, or who challenges you with a question you can’t answer.
It’s not a fun thing if you’re unprepared, that’s for sure.
Not only can it make you look foolish, but in some instances, it can make you wonder if maybe your faith is well-placed.
I’ve been there, and it’s a tough deal.
So what do we do when we’re challenged? Do we just slink away, do we get up in their faces and yell, do we argue with them, what do we do?
Jesus gives us some clues in an interaction He had with some of the religious leaders at the temple.
And I hope that our time here today will give you some encouragement, and even more importantly, goad you to become a person who is prepared to adequately handle the challenges to our faith that come our way more and more all the time.
God: We continue our walk through the gospel of Matthew, and we’re now in the last week of Jesus’ life – what the church calls Holy Week.
Jesus is spending a lot of time among the people in the temple areas, teaching and preparing people to understand that He is the promised Messiah.
In this episode, the religious leaders are freaking out about Jesus, as usual, and so they come to Jesus and that’s where we pick it up today:
Matthew 21:23-27 (p. 698) –
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you this authority?"
24 Jesus replied, "I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism--where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?"
They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, ’From heaven,’ he will ask, ’Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ’From men’--we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet."
27 So they answered Jesus, "We don’t know."
Then he said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
Let’s talk a bit about what’s happening here.
Remember, Jesus was driving out the rip-off artists in the temple court, healing and teaching people in temple. And not just in the past day or two, but He’d been doing that off and on for the whole three years He’d been in public ministry.
And it’s these things that are driving the chief priests and elders to question Jesus.
Jesus has been exercising an authority that they don’t think He really has. Jesus hadn’t been to their training, and He wasn’t an official priest or scribe or Pharisee or anything like that.
So these guys are asking, “Who do you think you are, anyway?”
Anybody here ever been in middle management? You’re not the owner or big cheese, but you have people working under you, and you have some decision-making power?
To me, that can be one of the most awkward positions to have. I’ve had positions like that and it can be hard.
You get to “make decisions” but you have to clear everything with someone else. And if something goes wrong, who gets the blame? You.
You get to wear the clothes, but you don’t really have any authority.
Authority was a big deal to the religious leaders in Jesus’ day, just like it is today, and these guys were in a panic about this upstart carpenter from Nazareth who had the gall to heal people and teach people in a way that the regular person could understand and that had an authority that was lacking in the Pharisees and such, even though they had the clothes.
They were threatened by Jesus, and they were trying to discredit Him.
And how does Jesus respond? He turns the tables on them and asks them a question that goes to the heart of what they believe about the Messiah.
We’re going to discuss the substance of what Jesus says, but here’s what I really want to drive home today:
It’s okay to challenge the challengers.
Look at how Jesus challenges the challengers:
1. Jesus sets the terms of the conversation.
Jesus says, in verse 24 –
"I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
Jesus doesn’t allow Himself to be put into a corner.
A lot of times Christians, because they’re not prepared, just get the snot beat out of them in these kinds of discussions because they let the challenger set the parameters of the discussion and so they set all the rules, define all the terms, and decide whether your answers are up to snuff according to their standards.
But Jesus says, “Uh-uh. You want to challenge me, then I’m gonna set the terms, and you have to answer Me.”
He’s not arrogant about it, but He’s simply not going to let the challengers make all the rules.
2. Jesus asked the right question.
Jesus isn’t just asking them a question to try and make them look stupid.
Jesus knew that the one who asks the questions controls the conversation.
And the question He asked directly related to the question they were asking Him.
He’s not just saying, “If you can’t make up your mind about John, then they won’t be able to make up their minds about Me, so there!”
His question is much more profound, because if the religious authorities answer His question rightly, they’ll already have the answer to their own question.
If they answer, “from heaven,” then they are morally bound to believe John – and who did John point to? Jesus. And they would therefore have their answer about Jesus and His authority.
If they respond, “from men,” then they give the wrong answer, but won’t dare say it in front of the people, because the people knew John was a prophet. EBC
Let’s bring this home for a bit.
The term for defending the faith is “apologetics” and it has nothing to do with making an apology like we think of when we tell someone we’re sorry.
Apologetics doesn’t mean being sorry for being a Christian.
When we think of defending the faith, we usually think of it in terms of having people ask us questions about Jesus, the Bible, or whatever.
But we don’t think of asking questions of them. But we need to do that.
Let me give you a quick scenario:
“You can’t trust the gospels.”
“Why not? What research have you done to know that the eyewitness accounts we have of Jesus aren’t trustworthy?”
“Well, I read the stuff from The Jesus Seminar and they say we can’t trust them.”
“Really? And what are their credentials, especially when it comes to ancient history, ancient documents, and Biblical language and biographies? Do they actually know what they’re talking about in those areas? Because if they don’t, then they’re not really qualified to tell you what’s trustworthy and what isn’t, are they?”
Or, “The resurrection of Jesus is not real.”
“Really? How do you explain the eyewitness testimony of over 500 people who said they saw that He was really dead, and then say saw Him days later, really alive, and they stuck to that story even at the pain of death? And where’s the body? Why didn’t Jesus’ enemies just bring out the body and parade it down the street so they could squash this Christianity thing before it got out of hand?”
You see what I’m saying? One of the best ways to defend the faith is to challenge the assumptions and statements of others by asking questions that go to the heart of the challenge.
You do it with kindness, though.
The Bible says that the Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but instead be able to gently instruct those who oppose us.
We’ve got plenty of rude Christians around; we don’t need more – especially when trying to discuss the truth of Jesus and the Scriptures.
And one of the best reasons for doing that is seen in the third way Jesus challenged these folks, and that was that…
3. Jesus forced them to think through their position.
The question Jesus asked them forced them to really think through what they believed and what they thought they wanted to happen.
Jesus wasn’t avoiding their question.
He actually answers it so that the honest seeker of truth, unswayed by public opinion, could see who He is, while those interested only in snaring Him are blocked.
[Jesus puts them in a position where these religious leaders can’t alienate the people by saying that this highly popular John the Baptist’s ministry wasn’t from God…But neither can they endorse the very prophet who had condemned them for not repenting.] NIVAC
They were stuck, they knew it, and He called them on it.
Too many Christians assume that we don’t have the right to challenge those who challenge us – and that we should just take it when we are challenged.
You: I was not a good Boy Scout – even my Dad won’t discuss my Scouting experience without a lawyer present.
But one thing I remembered quite clearly was the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared.
And in light of this episode with Jesus, I believe that one of the lessons Jesus wants us to learn is this:
Be prepared to help others prepare for eternity.
1 Peter 3:15 –
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
* Be prepared to challenge the beliefs and opinions of others in a way that causes them to think.
Ask them how they came to believe as they do.
Show them if they’re position is contradictory to itself.
For instance, they may say, “There is no absolute truth.”
“Wow – are you absolutely sure about that?”
* Be prepared to show them why you believe what you do.
Josh McDowell – most know what they believe, but can’t explain WHY they believe it.
They can’t offer a reasonable explanation for why they believe as they do.
And this gives the impression that their belief has no rational basis, and that our belief is nothing more than just swallowing what we’ve been given by our parents and others.
One of the best ways to do that is to anticipate the questions and have answers ready.
Don’t run from the questions – welcome them!
It’s okay to say, “I don’t know. Let me look into that and get back to you.” And then DO IT.
It’s okay to not know the answer, but you should never be caught by that question again.
* Be prepared to show them how to find Christ.
Share the gospel, offer to meet with them to just study the Scripture.
Can you tell someone how to be sure of heaven when they die?
If not, you need to learn.
Folks, it’s so important that we step up to the plate on this stuff. If you can’t do it yourself, bring them to someone who can or give them something they can read or watch. That’s okay – but do something that can help them find Christ through their objections.
Some people bring these challenges because they’re looking for an excuse to reject Jesus and Scripture, and they love making Christians squirm.
But some people are looking for something to believe in, and they need to know that they’re not sacrificing their brains and reason at the door.
They want to believe in God, but they’ve heard that believing in Him is foolish and only for the dumb and ignorant.
But when they can be shown that faith in Christ is a reasonable thing that a thinking and reasoning person can give their lives to, it has appeal.
And another thing. They’re not necessarily the person we’re challenging or who’s challenging us. Oftentimes it’s the people who happen to be listening in.
Read through the gospels and see how the crowds around reacted after Jesus challenged the Pharisees.
On the back of your note-taking guides I’ve listed some resources that you can have on your shelf or even give away.
“True for Me, but Not for You,” by Paul Copan.
Choosing Your Faith, by Mark Mittelberg
The Case for Faith
The Case for Christ
The Case for the Real Jesus, all by Lee Strobel.
There are a ton of websites that deal with apologetics that can help you.
We: We don’t want to continue to give the impression that Christians are just a bunch of gullible people swallowing a myth just like those who worshiped the gods and goddesses of ancient Rome, Greece, or whatever.
We want to be people who know what we believe and why, who can stand up to the challenges of others and who can challenge the what’s and why’s of those who challenge us.
Paul tells us that people would turn away from truth and that we need to be ready to meet the challenge.
Will we step up? Will you step up?
