Sunday 09/28/14 Freeville/Homer Ave
UMC’s
Sermon Title: “Who gave you this authority?”
Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16
New Testament Scripture Lesson: Philippians 2:1-13
Gospel Lesson: Mathew 21:23-32
Welcome
once again on this Sixteenth Sunday after the Feast of Pentecost. Pentecost,
was the day that Holy Fire filled the first followers of Jesus Christ, the day
the Christian Church was officially born.
From the day
of Pentecost forward, the disciples and the early followers of Jesus Christ
went forth boldly declaring that the savior, the Messiah had come. That the
Messiah had performed miracles, that he said and did things that no one else had
ever done before. That he was crucified, and the Apostles were able to testify
that when they finally got to Jesus’ tomb, it was in fact an empty tomb. They taught
people how love better, how build a better and a more just world, and how to
pursue spiritual transformation.
Due to all of
this, it would seem that it is undeniable that Jesus spoke with and had
authority in his words, actions, and deeds. There is an ongoing debate though, that
has raged from day one of Christianity over who Jesus really was. Some say he
was only a human, some say a prophet, or a teacher, yet our church and most
churches believe that Jesus Christ was God on earth. That he was far more than
a mere man, a mere teacher, or a mere prophet.
For if the
gospel accounts of scripture have any truth to them, then it is undeniable that
Jesus had at least some authority and power given to him by God. By this I
mean, at his very core level, was Jesus Christ not an incredibly transformative
figure? If you’re looking at the gospel narratives as accurate, did Christ not
say and do things that were beyond comprehension? Did he not make claims that
were unique and powerful? Did people not flock to him by the thousands?
I mean think about it, if Jesus wasn’t
truly powerful and authoritative, then why would the disciples and the other
early followers of his often face martyrdom to preach the “good news” or gospel
of Jesus Christ. If Jesus did not really change and shake up this whole earth,
then would Christians in Rome and other places willingly die for their faith?
Logic would tell us that no one in their right mind would follow something that
they thought to be this untrue. So for most people, it has been commonly accepted
for nearly two-thousand years that Jesus had power and authority here on earth.
The first Christians, who were predominately
Jewish, followed what they called “The Way,” which was “The Way” of Christ. So
it wasn’t that they abandoned God the Father, rather their faith was made
complete through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. That a fuller view of God, a
fuller view of salvation, and a fuller view of sanctification was needed. The
vast majority of Christians believe that this fullness and richness has come to
full fruition in the person and ministry of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
So Jesus
Christ then, Jesus of Nazareth, had authority. The next question to ask then,
is “who gave” Jesus “this authority?” In Greek the word “exousia,” which was in the first written addition of the New
Testament, means Power and or Authority. So Jesus is asked this morning “who
gave you this exousia?”
This is the
question under examination this morning, as “the chief priests and elders of
the people” asked Jesus Christ, “What kind of authority do you have for doing
these things? Who gave you this authority?”
In the gospel
of Matthew in chapter 21, Jesus continues to teach, perform miracles,
specifically the healing of the blind man, and does and says many other things.
Very clearly
then, the “Chief priests and elders” would not have asked Jesus the questions
they asked him this morning, if he wasn’t doing amazing things, would they?
When we look
at the reading from Psalm 78 from this morning, it begins by saying, “Listen,
my people, to my teaching; tilt your ears toward the words of my mouth.” Jesus
claimed in the gospels to be of God, to be “doing the will” of the Father. The
Psalm then says, “I will open my mouth with proverb. I’ll declare riddles from
days long gone—ones that we’ve heard and learned about, ones that our ancestors
told us.” In this way, while Jesus said and did some things that were new and
unique to him alone, he also said and did some things that had been said and
taught from the beginning of faith in God.
The second portion of the Psalm
reading from this morning discussed how “God performed wonders in their
ancestors’ presence,” which is exactly what Jesus is being called into question
for this morning. “Who gave you
this authority?” This “exousia?”
In looking at
the Apostle Paul’s Epistle or letter to the church in Philippi or the Philippians,
the Apostle Paul says, “Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any
comfort in love, and sharing in the Spirit, any sympathy, complete my joy by
thinking the same way, having the same love, being united, and agreeing with
one another.” Jesus had authority and power, and commanded us all to love one
another. The core of his authority and power is that of love of each other.
The Apostle
Paul then tells us to consider each other and others before ourselves. To love
and serve each other. These were the teachings that Christ displayed and spoke
with authority and power.
The Apostle
Paul then says, “Adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus: Though he was in
the form of God, he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit.”
So clearly the Apostle Paul thought Jesus was God on earth, but also thought
that he had power and authority on earth.
The Apostle
Paul then says, that with all the power and the authority that Jesus did have,
he chose to serve and love all people. He chose to show them this love, even to
his own death on cross. Was there ever a greater love than this? The Apostle
Paul then said, “Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
In the Gospel reading for this morning
in Matthew, Jesus’s actions, speech, and deeds, are called into question by the
“chief priests and elders.” While the gospel says that Jesus said and did all
sorts of amazing things, this no doubt would prompt the question from the
religious leaders in Jerusalem of “What kind of authority do you have for doing
these things? Who gave you this authority?”
This is what
they asked Jesus, and I think they were hoping that he would say, “My authority
comes from God.” Yet Jesus asked them a question, and told them that if they
answered the question, than he would then tell them who his authority came
from. Jesus then said speaking of John the Baptist, “Where did John get his
authority to baptize? Did he get it from heaven or from humans?”
Yet this
caused a debate among the high priests and elders, and they said, “If we say ‘from
heaven,’ he’ll say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe in him?’ But we can’t say
‘from humans’ because we’re afraid of the crowd, since everyone thinks John was
a prophet.” So then what did the high priests and elders say to Jesus? The
said, “We don’t know.”
Jesus then
said, then “Neither will I tell you what kind of authority I have to do these
things.” You see they refused to admit publically that John the Baptist was a messenger
from God, and if they did this, there is no way that they would admit publically
that Jesus was the Messiah.
Jesus then
tells them the parable of the man with two sons. In this parable the man told his
one son to go and work in the vineyard, and the son said, “No, I don’t want to,”
yet he later changed his mind and went. The other son told his father “yes sir,”
when was asked to work in the vineyard, but then he never went to work in the
vineyard. Jesus then said, “Which one of these two did his father’s will?” Then
they said, “The first one.”
Jesus then looked
at the high priests and the elders and said, “I assure you that tax collectors
are prostitutes are entering God’s kingdom ahead of you.” Jesus then said, you
didn’t believe that John the Baptist was called by God, but “tax collectors and
prostitutes believe him.” So if seeing is truly believing, than why do the chief
priests and elders still not believe? Was it fear? Was it uncertainty? Was it
power?
Don’t many of
us still wrestle to this day with who Jesus was? For if he had power and
authority on this earth, we might then say, well who was he? What does his life
and ministry mean to us today? Can he truly transform my broken life, into a
life of grace?
I would like
to close this message with a story. This story is called, “Whoever Gets the
Son, Gets Everything,” by Woodrow Kroll. I told this story a while ago, but I
think that it connects to today’s message. Here it is:
“A wealthy man and his son loved to
collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from
Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great
works of art.”
“When the Viet Nam conflict broke
out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while
rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his
only son.”
“About a month later, just before
Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A
young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said,
"Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his
life. He saved many lives
that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the
heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.”
“The young man held out his package. “I
know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son
would have wanted you to have this."
“The father opened the package. It
was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the
way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The
father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He
thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.
"Oh, no sir, I could never repay
what your son did for me. It's a gift." “The father hung the portrait over his
mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait
of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.
“The man died a few months later.
There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people
gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to
purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son.
“The auctioneer pounded his gavel.” "We
will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this
picture?"
“There was silence. Then a voice in
the back of the room shouted. "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip
this one." But the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this
painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"
“Another voice shouted angrily. "We didn't come to see this
painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real
bids!" But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"
“Finally, a voice came from the very
back of the room. It was
the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the
painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. "We have $10, who will bid $20?"
“The crowd was becoming angry. They
didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for
their collections.”
“The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD
for $10!" A man sitting on the second row shouted. "Now let's get on
with the collection!" “The
auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over."
"I am sorry. When I was called
to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was
not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of
the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the
entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets
everything!"
So here we are
nearly two-thousand years after Jesus walked this earth. The question I have
for you though, is do you receive the son? Do you believe that Jesus had power
and authority on this earth?
With the
transforming power of Jesus Christ, I offer three challenges to us all this
week. One, that if anyone is visiting or new in this church today, that we show
them the love of Jesus. Two, that we live our faith through love and caring. Three
that we continue to seek and after understand who Jesus was, and is. The one
who had power and authority on earth. Amen.
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