2 “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”
I recently had the privilege of visiting Herculaneum, the ancient Greek city destroyed by a volcanic mud flow from Mount Vesuvius. As I walked through this city that was buried for almost two thousand years under volcanic mud, my breath was taken away by the advanced nature of the buildings and infrastructure. They had fresh water faucets to control the flow of water from pipes. They had shops that served hot beverages. Starbucks had nothing on them! Their lives were sophisticated and rich with culture, both the arts and the debasing kind. I kept asking myself, where did they get their sophistication? And more often, what happened to the sophistication? Why did it disappear for over a thousand years? When the Roman civilization fell, the secrets of their technology and culture fell into darkness as well. The leaders of Jesus’ day want to know both the nature and source of His authority. They had never seen anything like the things Jesus was saying and doing. They struggled to fit Jesus into their theological constructs. The things He did blew all their understandings of the universe and the way things naturally behave out of the water. He raised the dead! Dead people stay dead, and that is the rule. And yet Jesus seemed to be able to break the rules. So they struggle to figure Him out. That is why they ask him the nature of His authority. They of course are not asking with pure motives. They are looking for reasons to kill him. But that does not change the fact that they are puzzled by the things He is doing. They recognize a power and authority that they would love to possess. If they had it, they could maintain and increase their influence over the people. They could elevate themselves even higher. Jesus would have none of it. He came to serve. He didn’t want position or power for Himself. He had that already. He was God in the flesh! What else did He need? So he turns the question back on them, seeking an opportunity for them to repent and admit their need.
The Arnold Journey 