You've no
excuse!
If someone is doing something different or special they are
likely to be asked, "Have you permission?" or "Have you authority
to do that?"
Even the Lord Jesus Christ was often questioned about His
authority. On this occasion Jesus was in Jerusalem and the people
were fascinated by Him "preaching the Gospel." 1*.
"The chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the
elders, came up to Him. ‘Tell us by what authority you are doing
these things?'" 2*.
These religious leaders did not like to see the people showing such
interest in Jesus' preaching. They did not want the people to be
turning to Him and forsaking them! They were so jealous they wanted
some excuse to kill Jesus!
Jesus knew their question was to try to get Him to say something
they could arrest Him for. Really, the answer to their question was
very clear to be seen!
For hundreds of years God's prophets had been giving great details
of things that would easily identify the Messiah God would send.
They had told He would be born miraculously to a virgin in
Bethlehem! 3*. and He
would miraculously heal the blind, the deaf and the lame!
4*. They had not only
taught that He would die for our sins but they had even shown
exactly how He would be put to death. 5*. There was no excuse for not knowing it was
God who sent Jesus. They just didn't want to believe it! And if
Jesus would openly say He was God they would have Him arrested for
blasphemy!
But what about YOU? You've no excuse
either for thinking the words of priests or teachers, or the
message of some religion could be more important than the words of
Jesus Christ, the Son of God! It is the words that Jesus has spoken
that will be your judge on the last day. 6*.
Jesus knew these religious leaders had not accepted the preaching
of John the Baptist. So Jesus asked them a question; "Tell
me, John's baptism - was it from heaven, or from men?" They
were trapped now by Jesus' question! They thought to
themselves, "If we say, `From heaven', He will ask, `Why didn't you
believe him?' But if we say, `From men', all the people will stone
us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet." So they
answered, "We don't know where it was from." Jesus said, "Neither
will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."
7*.
John the Baptist had been the greatest of all the prophets. He not
only had preached about the promised Messiah, he had been the
one who actually pointed out the real living Messiah - Jesus,
the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. 8*. Any honest thinking person
would have recognised that Jesus was the One the prophets had been
describing all along. 9*.
Are you still questioning the authority of Jesus who claimed that
no one could come to the Father except through Him? 10*. Take Him at His word today
and put your trust in Him alone to forgive and save you.
Read in Luke's Gospel chapter 20, verses 1-8 about the religious
leaders who, like so many today, did not believe in Jesus final
authority.
Bye for now,
John Nixon, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland. P31HD98. Contact: jnixonj@gmail.com
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Footnotes. Bible quotations from
N.I.V.
1 Luke 19:48.
2 Luke 20:1-2.
3 Isaiah 7:14. Micah
5:2.
4 Isaiah 35:3-6.
5 Isaiah 53:3-6. Psalm
22:14-20.
6 John 12:48.
7 Luke 20:5-8.
8 Matthew 11:11. John
1:29.
9 John 11:27. Matthew
16:16-17.
10 John 14:6. Hebrews
7:24-27.
