Truth or Victory
Scripture:
Again they came to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me.” They argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”—they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet. So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
(Mark 11:27–33 NRSV)
Observation:
Jesus’ teaching within the temple had been powerful. He was drawing crowds and this made the religious leaders angry and filled with jealousy. They were the religious authorities and his popularity was stripping them of their power. Driven by their desire to maintain power they confronted Jesus. In essence, they wanted him to seek their approval and credentialing before teaching. They were offended that he could speak powerfully and didn’t need their assistance. Instead of affirming the truth that was in him, they sought for ways to destroy him.
Jesus’ indictment comes later, in 12:2 where he says, [they] “know neither the scriptures nor the power of God.” In seeking victory over truth, they became hardened in their hearts and bitter. They were neither pious, nor did they know the scriptures which they professed to protect.
Application:
Unfortunately, jealousy can rear its ugly head as we are on this journey of life. It can happen at work, at home, and even in the life of the church. Jealousy has its root in power, whether perceived or real. When it takes root it seems to cloud all the senses and the result is a distorted view of reality. It makes us assign motives to the actions of others that probably mirror or own heart. The result is that a very good person’s reputation can be smeared by those who want victory, but do not want to listen to truth.
The ones who faced destruction in this case were those who were trying, at all cost, to maintain power. They were the religious leaders who should have known better but somewhere they had gotten off on a trajectory that had taken them far from being the religious leaders they were meant to be. The reality is that these men thought that they were saving the Jews by maintaining strict religious practices. Unfortunately, they allowed their legalism to blind them to truth. When we become consumed with maintaining power at all cost, there is no possibility of assigning authority to someone from outside the structure. That is just too threatening.
Ultimately the solution to this seems to be related to our own hearts. We need to maintain our time in the word and in prayer where God can shape us into the image of Jesus. Only in this way can we protect our own responses and not be threatened by those with authority from the Lord.
Prayer:
Lord, search my heart and check me when I seek victory over truth. Amen.
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