Rebels and Religious: Matthew 21:23-32 (Sermon)

INTRODUCTION 

Thanks, Butch and Worship team, for leading us in worship. There is no other name than Jesus. That is true. But to be candid, I think people don’t always live like it is true. I don’t always live like that. Let me explain authority another way. 

BUGATTI

This is the Bugatti La Voiture Noire, the second most expensive car in the world, valued at 18.1 million dollars. I will give it to the first person who comes up here, but I don’t have the authority to do so. I would love to actually give one away, but I don’t have the power to do it. I found the picture on their website. They have the authority to grant ownership, not me. This morning, we are discussing authority and the authority of Jesus. We all have some authority and are under some authority, whether it is our government, employers, work, school or home.   

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT2TUT1TiWsd0ptzqqvonpt0rdH-FnlOXchlQ&usqp=CAU 

What we deem as authoritative can have some control. Besides our autonomy, what has a say or sway in our lives? 

• Habits, 

• Desires,

• Drives,

• Appetites, 

• Goals, 

• Bucket list, 

• Money, 

• Possessions, 

• Power,  

• People, 

• The past, 

• Jesus? What controls you has a degree of authority over you. 

TODAY

Today, Jesus returns to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives to the temple. The religious leaders spar. In our passage, we hear an ironic tale where the teachers of the Law become an object lesson for us on what not to do, and the lawbreakers model how to live. 

TEXT 

I am going to have R. B. read for us. He will read from Matthew chapter 21, starting at verse 23 and going through verse 32. Would you please stand with me in honor of God’s Word? 

And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. 

“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him. (Matthew 21:23–32, ESV)

PRAYER

Thank you, let’s pray. Dear God, we need you. Your Word is light and truth. Guide us, I pray, in your holy name, amen. You may be seated. 

CONTEXT 

Jesus was in Jerusalem. It was Passover. He was teaching and healing. The city had swollen to 180,000 people from its original population of 30,000. The tensions between Jesus and the religious leaders were like an overfilled balloon ready to pop. Jesus had less than a week to live. Time was running out, and his identity was in question. Who was he to teach in the capital, let alone the temple, performing magical wonders and overturning tables? What made him so special, and why did he permit people to call him the Son of David in the king’s royal city? 

STRUCTURE 

Our passage begins with this question of his identity. In verses 28 through 32, Jesus gives a roundabout answer with an ironic application. 

MAIN IDEA

Jesus’s heavenly authority necessitates belief and obedience. Let me say that again. The answer to the religious elites questioning that: 

Jesus’s heavenly authority necessitates belief and obedience. 

Let’s see this in our Bibles. Go to verse 23. 

VERSE 23

“And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’” (Matthew 21:23, ESV). 

You may recall or read verse 17 last week. It tells us that the day before our passage, Jesus was in the temple. We have a familiar cast of characters: the chief priests and religious leaders, a crowd (21:26), and the disciples (21:20). Who were these leaders? Matthew identifies them in verse 45 as Pharisees. What did they want? They wanted to know what right Jesus had to do and say what he did. 

EVIDENCE

What do we know about Jesus’s authority? In the Sermon on the Mount, we read: 

“And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:28–29, ESV, italics mine).

He taught as if he was speaking the inspired Word of God because he was. He had authority. Not only that, Jesus was healing diseases all over, and after one particular event, we read: 

“And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority” (Matthew 9:7–8, ESV, italics mine).

Then, a chapter later, Jesus delegated this authority to his twelve friends. 

“And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction” (Matthew 10:1, ESV, italics mine).

At the end of the book, we read: 

“Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me’” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV, italics mine).

Who gave Jesus his authority? God. His authority came from heaven. Jesus taught, healed, delegated, and had all authority. However, the religious leaders were asking not because they wanted to follow or believe him, let alone worship him. They didn’t like him. They hated him. They thought his authority derived from Satan. We read this in chapter 9: 

“And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, ‘Never was anything like this seen in Israel.’ But the Pharisees said, ‘He casts out demons by the prince of demons’” (Matthew 9:33–34, ESV).

The leadership thought he was possessed. Why? 

• Well, for one thing, Jesus, in a veiled way, was putting himself on the level with God. That sounded heretical to blasphemous. But he was the God-man, of the same substance but mysteriously different in person as God, the Father.

• Jesus also questioned their interpretations of the Old Testament. For example, he upheld the principle behind the Sabbath and dissected the cultural and sinful additions to the Law. 

• Third, Jesus called their character into question. He said they were hypocrites, doing religious things for people’s praise, not God’s. 

• Finally, they may have been jealous of his popularity and authority. 

Regardless, their fury had grown in chapter 12, and they:

“Went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him” (Matthew 12:14, ESV).

Jesus knew this and predicted they would succeed. His time was running out. 

JESUS’S RESPONSE 

How did he respond? Look at verses 24 and 25. 

“Jesus answered them, ‘I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?’” (Matthew 21:24–25, ESV).

Jesus knew the answer. I think he asked this question to reveal their heart. 

VERSE 25

Look at the rest of verse 25.  

“And they discussed it among themselves, saying, ‘If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet’” (Matthew 21:25–26, ESV).

The leaders were more concerned with what the masses thought than the truth. 

[How would Matthew know? Perhaps Jesus told the disciples, God could have given Matthew the inside look at the heart, maybe the disciples overheard their debate, or one or more converted to the faith and offered an insider look. We know Nicodemus was a religious leader in Jerusalem that holy week. Regardless, they debated what to say back to Jesus.] 

They were more worried about their reputation. People’s opinions controlled them. If Jesus was as evil as they believed, then it shouldn’t matter what the populus thought. The Pharisees were anti-role models—the fear of what people thought controlled them. The crowd’s perceptions paralyzed and held them back. Worry was a tightened ratchet strap. 

FEAR OF MAN 

We can struggle similarly. I know I can. How do I see this? Frequently, I have met people who don’t attend church because they fear what others think. In actuality, people aren’t thinking of them. Instead, people think of themselves. Here are some thoughts that can fly through my head: 

• I am hungry. What am I going to make for lunch? 

• When am I going to go grocery shopping? Do we have enough toilet paper? 

• What am I going to say at the next meeting? Did I tell my wife about that meeting? 

• Who is driving them kids? 

• When am I going to get around to fixing the bike? 

• I want to read my book. What a great book. I should buy a copy for so and so. But where will I get the money for that? I will just text them about it. 

• I hope I can take a nap. I am so tired. When will this end (and maybe you are thinking about the sermon right now)? 

You get what goes on in my head. It is often about me. Sometimes, it is about others. I can be judgmental. But most of the time, it is about me, which is normal because I am me. And you probably think about you, which is right and good. Our mental space is likely filled with things about ourselves, not others. The force that paralyzes people from coming to church is more devilish than not. It is another form of selfishness and pride. The religious leaders were similar. They gave too much authority to people’s opinions.  

JOHN THE BAPTIST 

Let’s go back to chapter 21. Jesus brought up John the Baptist. Why? Why did he bring up John? John foreshadowed Jesus. He was a prophet sent by God to prepare the way of the Lord. His message was what? To repent and be ready because the Kingdom of God was at hand. Turn from sin and follow God. People came to hear from all over. And the Pharisees didn’t like this. John brought a scathing condemnation to them. He called them a brood of vipers. They were snakes. When Jesus began his ministry, his greatest sermon echoed this complaint. The Old Testament passages he quoted recently dug up the ugly past and preserved it for all of history. They were oppressors, not leaders, thieves, not generous, adulterers, not pure, and idol worshipers. They were leeches, taking advantage of God’s people for personal gain. All that to say, the Pharisees didn’t think that John was a prophet and didn’t have heavenly authority. They didn’t repent for their arrogance and conceit, and if they stood by their beliefs, they would have been in hot water with the crowd. So what did they say? Look at verse 27. 

“So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And he said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things’” (Matthew 21:27, ESV).

They refused to answer. Jesus wouldn’t answer them either (not directly). 

VERSE 28

He would go on to tell them a story, actually a couple. Here is the first. Look at verses 28. 

What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” And he answered, “I will not,” but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, “I go, sir,” but did not go. (Matthew 21:28–30, ESV)

The story was a parable. A parable is a simple, mundane, commonplace event that illustrates an arresting spiritual truth. It is like an allegory or fable but shorter. Jesus described a father and two sons and their interaction. One says he won’t obey and does, while the other says he will obey and doesn’t. 

VERSE 31

Then, in verse 31, Jesus asked a fundamental question.   

“‘Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’” (Matthew 21:31, ESV).

Were they right? Yes. Now, the kicker. Look back at verse 31. 

“Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you’” (Matthew 21:31, ESV).

Let that sink in for a moment. Tax collectors and prostitutes will go into the kingdom of God before you. Jesus’s words remind me of the prophet Nathan, who confronted King David about his murder and adultery in Jerusalem 1000 years before. The Pharisees didn’t realize Jesus was talking about them; they were the second son. Jesus was saying that the first child was the one who said he would not obey but changed his mind and obeyed, was the tax collectors and prostitutes. The Pharisees were the second son.  

[A side note: the first is the first. But in the Jewish history the although traditionally firstborn got the blessing, it was the second, Jacob that got it. Jacob blessed the second born of Joseph, not the first. (We can’t put too much stake in the order here because there are few variant manuscripts.) So, in a sense sometimes the firstborn was last. And certainly the] 

Tax collectors made their money enforcing the foreign government’s reign. They were known for being in bed with the enemy. They had the freedom to take more than their fair share, and they did. They were thieves and extortionists, oppressing the weak. They were often mentioned in the same sentence with Gentiles. A good Jewish person could not eat with Gentiles. Prostitutes, well made their money selling their bodies, tempting and alluring their clients who were fathers and husbands and sons. They were not following God’s design for sexuality. Yet, Jesus said that those men and women would enter the kingdom of God before the creme de la creme of the capital. How? 

VERSE 32

Look at verse 32.

“For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him” (Matthew 21:32, ESV).

Jesus went back to John. John promoted right living. He called people to repent from sin and follow God. That meant prostitutes stopping their prostituting and tax collectors stopping their stealing. There is hope. There is room for them in the Kingdom of God. This is space for them at the table of the Lord. They received this invitation. They believed Jesus turned from their wickedness, giving him authority over their lives. However, the Pharisees didn’t. They witnessed the mass’s reaction; they saw and heard of the miracles and didn’t believe. Instead, they made plans to arrest him. They were not only giving the crowd authority; they were committed to preserving their power. 

CONNECTION 

Who do you relate to in the story? Matthew wrote this not as a history lesson but as a spiritual one. God preserved it for us to hear him speak to our week. I can relate to all three. 

RELIGIOUS LEADERS

Like religious leaders, I can be overly concerned about what people think. I can be jealous of how God uses and works in people. Even Jesus’s words can be hard to hear. How so? Picture the grossest sinner you know. Say they experience Christ and turn in repentance and faith. Imagine Jesus telling us about it and saying they will be seated before us. That can sting. It surfaces in me a self-centered ego. I also tend to give myself more authority or credit than I deserve. I can relate to the Pharisee, can you? 

REBEL

I can also relate to the rebels. I like to do what I want to do. I don’t always like following God. Over the years, God has helped me overcome my rebellious nature. I get the power of giving myself over to the authority of sin. I have been there, stuck. Have you? 

REPENTANT 

I also can relate to the repentant. I know the desire and joy of Jesus’s love and forgiveness. I have been grateful for what God has done in my life. I have been broken and overjoyed by God and his grace. Have you? That is where I want to be more. I want Jesus to have the authority in my life. 

ALL 

No matter whom you resonate within the story, you can repent, too. It is not too late. You can turn from giving authority to the wrong things to God. You can live for Jesus and find the abundant life that he promises. Let me tell you a story to illustrate this.

SILVER CHAIR

This week, I was listening to the dramatized version of the Silver Chair. It is part of the Chronicles of Narnia series. In it, a girl named Jill finds herself incredibly thirsty. She longs for water. She comes upon a stream. And we read: 

“Although the sight of water made her feel ten times thirstier than before, she didn’t rush forward and drink. She stood as still as if she had been turned into stone, with her mouth wide open. And she had a very good reason; just on this side of the stream lay the lion.

From https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2018/07/31/22/08/lion-3576045_1280.jpg 

It lay with its head raised and its two fore-paws out in front of it. She knew at once that it had seen her, for its eyes looked straight into hers for a moment and then turned away–as if it knew her quite well and didn’t think much of her.

“If I run away, it’ll be after me in a moment,” thought Jill. “And if I go on, I shall run straight into its mouth.” Anyway, she couldn’t have moved if she had tried, and she couldn’t take her eyes off it. How long this lasted, she could not be sure; it seemed like hours. And the thirst became so bad that she almost felt she would not mind being eaten by the lion if only she could be sure of getting a mouthful of water first.

“If you’re thirsty, you may drink.”

For a second she stared here and there, wondering who had spoken.

Then the voice said again, “If you are thirsty, come and drink,” and she realized that it was the lion speaking. She had seen its lips move this time, and the voice was not like a man’s. It was deeper, wilder, and stronger; a sort of heavy, golden voice. It did not make her any less frightened than she had been before, but it made her frightened in a rather different way.

“Are you not thirsty?” said the Lion.

“I’m dying of thirst,” said Jill.

“Then drink,” said the Lion.

“May I—could I—would you mind going away while I do?” said Jill.

The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl. And as Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized that she might as well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience. The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic.

“Will you promise not to—do anything to me, if I do come?” said Jill.

“I make no promise,” said the Lion.

“Do you eat girls?” she said.

“I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms,” said the Lion. It didn’t say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it.

“I daren’t come and drink,” said Jill.

“Then you will die of thirst,” said the Lion.

“Oh dear!” said Jill, coming another step nearer. “I suppose I must go and look for another stream then.”

“There is no other stream,” said the Lion.

It never occurred to Jill to disbelieve the Lion–no one who had seen his stern face could do that–and her mind suddenly made itself up. It was the worst thing she had ever had to do, but she went forward to the stream, knelt down, and began scooping up water in her hand. It was the coldest, most refreshing water she had ever tasted.”

Jill took a step of faith and moved toward the stream to satisfy her deep thirst. She believed the lion. She found satisfaction and help by accepting reality. She found relief for her longing. She slaked her thirst. The lion was good, not safe, but good. Lewis taps into our desires, which only God can satisfy. He may not let us remain the same, and he may destroy the weak, imperfect parts of our character, but he does so for our good and in the heart of love. He gives us living water and heavenly fare that will fill us forever. He has all authority, whether we grant it to him or not. Do you hunger and thirst? Do you know yourself as poor in spirit, meek, and needing mercy? Come to the water and drink; come to Jesus for your satisfaction. Let him have authority over your life.  

Although both groups of people were sinners in Jesus’s parable, the teachers of the law didn’t see it; the lawbreakers did; they believed and obeyed. They gave Jesus authority in their lives. As we sing, we can acknowledge Jesus’s authority. Will you? He is worthy.    

PRAYER 

Let’s pray.  

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