Who Does This Scripture Apply To?
One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.”
He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?”
And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” So they answered that they did not know where it came from.
The Chief Priests and Scribes were experts in a twisted, legalistic distortion of the Scriptures. They were very good at being “very good.” And they were very good at saying, “That’s bad!” They loved to have the people listen to them and respect their position.
But the Chief Priests and Scribes were in a sticky place: they loved the praise of people, but the people had also loved John the Baptist. Now it was years since John had been summarily executed by a drunken king, and John was still a great figure. John was respected and loved as a martyr and Jewish prophet, killed by a foreign king set up to subdue the Jews in Israel. When Jesus asked the priests where John’s authority came from, he was suggesting, “I got my authority where John got his.”
Do we sing at Christmas that Jesus is the “wonderful counselor,” but fail to take his counsel because it doesn’t match our own religious tradition? Do we hear his words as clear and worthy of obedience, or do we wash them through our footnotes and commentaries?
And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.”
“And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out.”
“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’”
“But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’
And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”
When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!”
But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” – Luke 20:1-18 (ESV)
Sometimes when Jesus taught a parable, nobody quite knew what he meant at first. In teaching about the parable of the soils, he had to have a separate lesson just to explain it. But in this instance, when he was asked what human authority gave him the right to preach the gospel, he answered with a parable.
“Surely not!” They shouted back to Jesus. What did they mean?
Imagine yourself watching a movie on TV yesterday and getting caught up in the plot line. In the movie, there’s an explosion in a truck, and your favorite character appears to be in that truck! You might think, “Surely not!”
Now imagine you’re watching the news tonight, and the Chief of Staff of the US Armed Forces is shown on the podium. Soldiers have been attacked, and Americans at home are in danger. You might also think, “Surely not!”
In the first example, you are caught up in the plot of a fictional story. But in the second case, you realize that what’s happening affects you! This, the second, is what we see in the Priests and Scribes. Jesus wasn’t telling a fictional story: he was reporting the news. They knew this wasn’t just a story about other people; they understood it was about themselves.
God mercifully fills the scripture with many warnings; we need to know and trust Jesus. True trust in Jesus will lead to new desires and new ways to live daily. Failure to demonstrate true loving concern for others shows we really don’t know the Father. These warnings are meant to help us repent of sin and turn back to our Father who waits to heal.
The Chief Priests and Scribes can be our good example in this one way: they listened to Jesus and realized he was talking both to them and about them. But even while they took his words personally, rather humbly submitting to God, they still hardened their hearts.
Do we read the scripture as only applying to others? Do you think, “I’ve read this before,” or do you think, “Father, what are you teaching me, now? How can I be more like your Son? Spirit, how can you bear fruit in me?”
A Suggested Prayer
Father, help me to open and read your Word. I need your help to understand and your power to obey. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear what you want to say to me! Shock me and change me when I need to be alarmed. Give me strength to walk in your power and keep better in step with your Spirit.
