Exploring God’s Word with Brad Thurston
Authority Vs. Authority
Episode Summary
Luke 19:45-20:19 The Words of Jesus are spirit and life. To ignore them is not just folly, it can be fatal! There is only one true Victor in the world. To set ourselves against him is both folly and futile.
Episode Notes
- The King takes his seat of honor in the temple
Recall his 12th year when he was about his Father’s business
The seat of Godly authority from which the rule of God is to take place - The crowds hang on to his every word. Gathering for the Passover and Pentecost (feast of weeks or first fruits)
- The confrontation continues to escalate between the leaders and Jesus. From this moment through Acts 7 the focus is on Jerusalem and all that transpires here. This is the heart of the Gospel message and it is clearly divisive, especially on the issue of authority in general and the ultimate spiritual authority in particular. One group seeks temporal and immediate authority the other sees a much bigger picture and sees eternal authority. The theme of a divided people continues to escalate.
- The direct question of authority
Why is this important to the leaders? The people, the teaching, the disruption of man made traditions that nullified the power and intentions of God
Their blindness to both the purpose of Israel and God’s plan for all mankind to be blessed by them
Their losing control of the people and their fear of people. Their hypocrisy in not answering Jesus – what leaders are supposed to do is bring clarity to understanding the good news of God’s Kingdom - The parable that shows the failure in leadership to focus on the God given responsibilities and abusing the temporal for personal purposes of power and or greed. Taking pride in their positions of honor. All issues addressed by Jesus, both directly and indirectly. He speaks to the people, but about the leaders. This is clearly understood because of Isaiah 5!
- The response is clear: and Jesus again quotes Psalm 118 – the cornerstone. Here the same judgement is clearly passed as shown in the parable of the minas, and the destruction of those who did not want the rule of God in their lives. Is it a stumbling block, or is it a judgement that crushes, the only way to see it as a lace of safety and healing is through repentance and faith. That is the gospel message from both John the Baptist and the good news of the Kingdom that is clearly shown to be the only alternative to the direction the leaders are moving in.
- Their hearts become hardened with their own blindness to the truth and who Jesus Is.
Application: what happens when we stumble over Jesus and his words? Do we believe in what he says about us? Are we willing to repent of our transgressions? Or does his life and words become a source of destruction to us?
The truth is, there is only one Victor in the world. To set ourselves against him is both folly and futile. To turn to him and receive him is more that we could ever hope for. Here is the temple, the place where God ruled before the people rebelled against him, here is the place where the final showdown occurs. This is the place where sin will be judged. Either to the destruction of those who set themselves against Jesus or for salvation for those who place their trust in him.
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?””
John 11:25-26