Mark 11:28 Street Cred

Mark 11:28 “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”

Have you noticed the rise in ransomware attacks in recent months. Ransomware is software that gets put on your computer that a criminal can trigger and lock up your computer files with no way of restoring them. Companies must pay a ransom in order to get the key to unlock their files. Lesson: have a current backup of your information safely stored, separate from your computer.

We are learning that these ransomware attacks come from across the globe. They can be very difficult to track down, and even more difficult to prosecute. There is no authority to reference in order to prosecute since it is across international borders. So they get away with it!

There was a story in the news just a couple of days ago about a carjacking. Broad daylight, no fear, no regrets. And the authority to stop it from happening seems to be on vacation. It is now unpopular in some circles to call a crime a crime, and a criminal a criminal.

In Jesus’ day there were two authorities active in Judea, the region where Jesus was born, lived and ministered. The first authority, the one with the power to enforce its authority on any it chose to express it, was Rome. The Roman army had the power to impose its will on people. You had to submit or face the consequences.

The second authority was a religious authority. It only acted on borrowed authority. They could only enforce their will with the permission of Rome. They have very limited powers.

So along comes Jesus, doing things that astound them and amaze the crowds. They can’t do these kinds of things, so they want to discover the authority Jesus uses, so perhaps they can use it themselves. They also want to arrest Jesus, and any authority that stands up and waves its hands is subject to enforcement by Rome.

Our text tells us the two questions they asked. What authority and how did you get that authority? Who told you you could play with that tool? Isn’t that Dad’s tool? Did he give you permission to us it? Then why are you using it?

You see, the religious leaders felt like their position in society was being threatened by Jesus. He was an outsider. He didn’t come from the right family. He wasn’t born with the right political connections. He wasn’t rich.

But Jesus was doing what they themselves couldn’t do, so Jesus was a threat to them. And if they let it continue, the crowds would follow Jesus and not them. They would loose control.

By what authority are we doing the things that we do? Do we represent our company, our home, our family, our country, our business, our God? What authority are we exercising in our daily life? Where does it come from? And who gave us that authority to act?

If we take time to ponder these questions, we might get a better appreciation for the authority structures in our lives, and perhaps we would act in some very different ways. We might even become more productive!