Each morning, I send my daughter to kindergarten. One day, another parent said, “Be careful. There’s an old man near the school who shouts at people walking by: ‘右歩け! Walk on the right side of the road!’”
“Who does he think he is?!” she told me.
Sure enough, I encountered this man. He shouted at me, “右歩け,ばかやろう! Walk on the right, you stupid idiot!”
Now, it’s a different story if a police officer told us to walk on the right side of the road. We would probably obey the officer, even if there were no law about which side to walk on. We recognize that certain people have authority to command us, such as a person wearing a police uniform.
But in general, most of us don’t like it when someone orders us around. Especially if they look down on us or criticize us. Unfortunately, many people imagine that the God of the Bible is like that old man, watching us to catch us doing something wrong. Meanwhile other people feel that, if there is a God, he doesn’t watch us or care what we do; whether we live or die doesn’t matter to Him.
Throughout this year, my sermons have been going through a part of the Bible called the Gospel of Mark. The book of Mark tries to show Jesus’ identity as king—King of the Universe and not just a religious teacher.
Today, I would like to reflect on the idea of Jesus’ authority. Jesus claimed to have the authority of God—over all things and all people. The main idea of my sermon today is that Jesus calls us to accept his authority as King, but we need not be afraid of Him, because he is a God who cares for us and even suffers with us. And that is why we celebrate him every Christmas.
We will read from Mark chapter 11 and 12, in which the religious leaders of Jesus’ time questioned his authority. Before we read the passage, let us pray.
[Read Mark 11:27-12:12]
Jesus versus the Religious Leaders
This ongoing conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders was reaching its climax. They disliked him because he criticized their legalistic view of Scripture and their pride. They felt threatened by his popularity among the common people.
Mark reports that Jesus taught the people with a sense of authority that was somehow different from these religious teachers who had devoted their lives to studying Scripture (1:22, 27). On top of that, he could heal diseases and cast out demons (3:15, 6:7). He even claimed to have authority to forgive sins! (2:10)
Even more shocking, Jesus implied that he was King over Israel when he entered Jerusalem riding on a colt and was received by the crowds with reverence. After entering Jerusalem, he went to the temple and chased out the merchants doing business there, as if he had authority over what is done in the temple.
So the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders asked, “Who gave you authority to do this?” It wasn’t a real question. They were saying, “Hey, who do you think you are? You are not in charge here.”
In today’s passage, Jesus didn’t directly say where his authority came from. But he answered their question indirectly, using the story about the tenants. Let me briefly explain this parable of the tenants.
The landowner of the vineyard represents God. The wicked tenants represent those who rejected God’s messengers throughout the history of Israel. Finally, the landowner’s son represents Jesus. The cornerstone also represents Jesus.
Through parables, Jesus was saying: My authority comes from God, because God sent me. I, the son of God, will be rejected by you; but my Father God will vindicate me and raise me to a high position.
With this kind of reply, it’s no surprise that the leaders wanted to get rid of Jesus permanently. They didn’t want people to be deceived by this false Messiah calling himself God.
Should we listen to Jesus?
What evidence does Jesus give that he was really sent by God to speak? According to the Gospel of Mark, the evidence is Jesus’ words, miracles, and later, his resurrection from the dead. His words ring with truth. His miracles show the power of God over Nature, over sickness, and even over death. His resurrection convinced disciples to continue following their Master despite intense persecution.
Many people feel there is no evidence for God’s existence. Especially when there is so much evil in this world and no justice for it. Maybe the tenants in Jesus’ parable thought the same. They thought they could continue doing whatever they wanted.
Just as there were no immediate consequences for those tenants when they mistreated the landowner’s messengers, likewise in our world there may not be immediate consequences for our choices. But God is the landowner, the master, of the universe; and Jesus promises that there will be consequences one day for everything we do—both the good and the bad.
In this generation, we value individual freedom. We want to make our own choices without being controlled or judged by others. Naturally, we don’t like to be corrected or told we are wrong.
I wonder if it helps to look at this from a medical perspective. No one likes to be sick, or to discover they have a disease. Some of us avoid going to the doctor because we don’t want to hear that kind of bad news.
Like a doctor who tells us we have a heart disease, Jesus says the sin of our hearts is a problem. That is bad news, indeed; no one wants to hear that. But there is also good news. The good news is that he is able to heal us. And unlike some bad doctors I’ve met, Jesus is someone that I trust. He tell me hard truths, but he is also gentle and compassionate. I know that truly cares for me—and for you.
You and I must decide whether to listen to Jesus. Just as we might question a doctor’s diagnosis and get a second opinion, we have to think carefully about Jesus’ words. Is he qualified to speak?
The King who suffered for us
Some of us had the experience of being mistreated by an authority figure. Either a parent, a teacher, a boss, or even a religious leader. That can make it difficult for us to accept God, especially when the Bible calls him our Father in heaven, or our Master or King.
But I have found Jesus to be a person truly worth following and even obeying.
Instead of striving to be popular or powerful or wealthy, Jesus was willing to die a shameful death for the sake of those he loves—you and me. He is not a distant God who folds his arms and just watches from afar. Rather, he came and suffered with us. As the son of the landowner was killed, so Jesus Christ died on the Cross for the cleansing of our sins.
This King does not use his authority to control or abuse others. Despite his position of authority, he chose to serve us and suffer for us. Jesus served the poor and groups of people who were despised, treating them with dignity. He washed his disciples’ feet, something that no teacher at that time would do.
As we read earlier this year, Jesus said in Mark chapter 10, “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43-45).
Those are just a few reasons why so many people in the world for the past 2,000 years found him worth listening to. And it’s why we celebrate Jesus’ birth every Christmas.
Conclusion
Let me end by reading from the book of Philippians, chapter 2. It tells us what Jesus is like, and also what we should be like if we are his followers.
Philippians 2:1-10:
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…”
Let’s pray:
O God, you make us glad each year by the birth of your Son Jesus Christ. We joyfully receive him as our Redeemer. May we meet him with confidence when he returns to be our Judge—he who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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