Who Do You Think You Are? Mr. Bigstuff? - Matthew 21:23-32 - Eighteenth Week after Pentecost

 

Matthew 21:23-32 NIV

²³ Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”

²⁴ Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ²⁵ John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

²⁷ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

²⁸ “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

²⁹ “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

³⁰ “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

³¹ “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³² For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Who Do You Think You Are? Mr. Bigstuff?

Jesus didn’t restrict His teachings, His works, His compassion, or anything else that He did, to a particular place. He didn’t avoid places. He even taught in the religious places associated with, not only ordinary folks, but with the religious authorities of His day.

These religious authorities were the people who not only governed areas, in and around the temple, they were the folks that people went to, for instruction, as well.

Now, Jesus was invading “their territory,” with teachings different from their teachings, or even the style of teachings, and mode of governing religious proceedings. So, you can see, how they would feel imposed upon by this man, Jesus, who the crowds were now listening to, learning from, and receiving healing, and witnessing miracles.

So, they wanted to know, directly from Jesus, where does His authority to do all of these things, come from.

Jesus was making decisions that rubbed them the wrong way. He took decisive action on the customs of the day, by driving out those selling sacrificial animals, and the money changers that skimmed a little “off the top”, in order for people to use “Temple” money in these purchases.

So, yea! Who gave you, Jesus, this authority? Like, who do you think you are?

And to pull this inward into your, and my life… consider for yourself… how much authority does Jesus have in your own life? How will you respond to the authority that Jesus has in your life? And how does Jesus change you, or change how you live, day after day? Pause and give all of this some thought, on your own as well.

Jesus’ response with a question to the question, was a typical practice for rabbis of the day. The idea is to make you think. I recall a Lab Instructor, when I was going to Technical School, using this same technique with me. I asked a question, and his response was, “Well, what do you think?” With this he engaged me in conversation to discuss the topic, and come to a conclusion, that he carefully led me to think about. He didn’t give me the answer, but I arrived to an answer on my own, with his guidance.

Jesus question in this passage caused the chief priests and elders to discuss the source of John the Baptists baptism. Who was the source of John’s baptism? Was it of God, or from heaven, or was it from men? The approach of the chief priests and elders, was different from the approach that I took with my Lab Instructor. The chief priests and elders, discussed amongst themselves. My discussion was with my Lab Instructor.

My thinking is that this question would be thought out, WITH Jesus, in asking other, or clarifying questions, TO Jesus, SO THAT an answer would be derived from one another, using the knowledge of Jesus as well. But that’s NOT what happened here.

My response to God would be different. My response would be in prayer, for guidance and direction. But, I’m not sure if the chief priests and elders, wanted to bring Jesus into their own fold at this moment, or perhaps ever. There is a factor of humility, when we open ourselves to the hard questions, to work with one another towards and answer. And for me, this would definitely include Jesus, in this conversation.

It seems to me, that once this conversation turned to the side, not including Jesus, it becomes a bit of a political response. It went the way of IF this, THEN that. At least recognize that the question calls for a discussion with everyone present. At best, honor Jesus’ authority, and bring Him into the answer to the question. But that doesn’t seem what these chief priests and elders are ready to recognize. That is, recognize the authority of Jesus. Here is the rub, and the doubt, present, in this entire conversation and passage of Scripture. What is the “here”? The here is the authority of Jesus.

Now the chief priests and elders have jumped into the “Feelings” of the people, to what their answer alone should mean. What will “Others” think of our answer? It just seems a bit odd to me, to answer a question, with the thinking or opinion of what “Others” may think, as your main consideration.

So, in the end, the chief priests and elders, are too afraid to take a stand. Sort of funny, to a simple man like myself. It’s a bit “chicken shit”, in my book.

So, Jesus presses on with the conversation with further questioning. Back to my Lab Instructor… “But what do you think?”

And then Jesus creates a scenario for more discussion.

This question revolves around a couple of sons, called to work in the Father’s vineyard. Go and work today? Think back on last week’s reflection, a bit, about the workers in the marketplace, called at various times of day, to work. Go, or no go? Now or later? Make a decision!

Here we, must reflect on our own call, to respond to God, when He calls us, now, later, or in the future. Go, or no go?

But God is patient for us to give a response. Another gift from God, is some time to consider. But at some point, the discernment needs to stop, and a decision needs to be made. It sort of comes down to being faithful to God’s call in life. Will you serve God or self?

You may answer one way, but be sure to pray. Pray to God for direction, for the gifts needed to carry out the call. Pray to God, why? Because we NEED God. We can’t fulfill His call, on our own, without Him involved. We need His gifts to carry out His will in His way.

And then Jesus speaks plainly, once again, as He often does. Tax Collectors and Prostitutes, known for their sinful lives, are the very ones who came to John the Baptist to be baptized. And here is the kicker… they believed. Yes, these sinners, just as I too am a sinner, came to John the Baptist, repented of their sin, AND believed.

Some of the Chief Priests and the Elders did NOT go to John the Baptist, in their own sinfulness, to repent of their sin, and believe the message of John the Baptist.

So, what’s the difference between the Tax Collectors, the Prostitutes, and the Chief Priests and Elders? Some repented and believed, and others did not see the need to repent and believe. In one way or another, these people judged John the Baptist, and his message. What message? Repent, and receive forgiveness of sin.

If you refuse to repent, or even to acknowledge your sin, in front of others… well then, just maybe you think you are better than the other. Who is the other? The “Other”, are those who acknowledge their sin before God, and one another, and turn to seek forgiveness of the sin in the face of God, and neighbor.

Sometimes leaders, like the Chief Priests and the Elders of this passage, think, wrongly by the way, that they are self-righteous. You are NOT righteous in yourself!

Titus 3:5

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

You are not saved by the things you do, that you think make your righteous. You are only saved by the mercy of God, through washing and rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This isn’t your work. It is the work of God.

Think of what John the Baptist was doing. He was calling people to him, in the presence of God, and one another, to repent of their sin, and be washed in the waters of baptism, and cleansed in the forgiveness of God. We ALL have sinned!

Listen to the words of Paul in the letter to the Romans…

Romans 3:23

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

And yep! That’s Tax Collectors, Prostitutes, Chief Priests, Elders, Me, and You too! So REPENT and face God seeking forgiveness and salvation. Why? So that we can live WITH Him and one another in the Kingdom of God, NOW and FOREVER.

Spin me around, in my arrogance, TO SEE Your face, TO SEE Your way in my life; that I may hear YOUR WORD of forgiveness. I’m a haughty man, and I NEED you to humble me in my sin, SO THAT, I can be saved from myself, TO follow Your will and Your way… NOT mine! Help me, save me, I plead!

O Lord, make me humble. In Your presence I need You. I need Your advice, I need Your direction, I need to know Your ways. I turn to You in prayer. Speak to me through Your Word, that I may discern Your call and understand.

Lord Jesus, as I come to You, as I pray, put Your mind in me. Forgive my sinfulness. Take away my pride and make me humble before You, and my neighbor. May I love, like You love, and do Your will.

This weeks’ time of reflection on this Scripture passage, along with a Bible verse assigned to me by a Ham Radio friend to memorize and learn in the mode of CW or as most would think, Morse Code, brought me to humility in the will of God through prayer.

How’s that? Well as I reflected on the “attitude” that I perceived in the Chief Priests and the Elders towards questioning Jesus’ authority, to be doing what He was doing in the presence of the people of His day; I saw a lack of humility in the presence of God. I really think that they knew, or at least heavily suspected, that Jesus, WAS the Messiah. But they weren’t ready for this. So, they attempted to show Him up in their own presence and the presence of the people. But it all backfired.

So, it made me think of looking for, or more-so hearing the call of God, or even the will of God in my life.

 

Like the son that responded that he wasn’t willing to go and work in the vineyard, he must have given his response some consideration, and changed his mind. Yet the other son only gave the answer that he presumed his father wanted, yet did not respond with any work.

The first son gave it some thought. In some way he may have thought about what his father needed, and, in the end responded to the will of the father.

This is where I come back to prayer. Maybe prayer as conversation with God. Open, honest, humble prayer in the presence of God, to determine the call of my Father, and a clarification of my Father’s will, IN that very call.

So, as I reflected on my Ham friend’s assigned memory verse, along with this very passage of Scripture for this week from Matthew; I considered the will of God.

Here is my assigned memory passage, to be sent in Morse Code next Tuesday over the airwaves…

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

In this I kept hearing in Morse Code and the language of God, that God’s will is for me, and you and all disciples, to rejoice, pray, and give thanks. And to hear God’s call, to respond to the call to work in the vineyard, I must humble myself, in the presence of God and before one another, acknowledge my sin, and seek God’s forgiveness of my sinful life, SO THAT, I will pray, and seek God’s will in my life, respond to God’s will in my life to work in that vineyard and rejoice, and give thanks for all that God has done for you, and for me, and for all the world, in Christ Jesus.

It seems to me, that this is what the Tax Collectors, the Prostitutes, and the people who went to John the Baptist, in the wilderness were doing. And then, the great thing about it all? These very same people, maybe, just maybe, witnessed Jesus being baptized for their very own sin, BY John the Baptist, SO THAT, Jesus’ ministry and mission to take on God’s call from that moment forward, to march towards the cross, die in our very own sin, defeat death and rise again, and ascend once again into heaven. Why? So, that we too would live our lives with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, SO THAT, we may rejoice, give thanks and have an everlasting prayer, or conversation, or relationship with God in His Kingdom… today… tomorrow… and forever. Thanks be to God!

I couldn’t help but to have a little fun with the music for this one… Enjoy this throw back in time… “Mr. Big Stuff”

https://youtu.be/afhMFK__ZGc?si=VflWiJ8xqn8L9FsA