When Jesus returned to the Temple and began teaching, the leading priests and elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?” “I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied. “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?” They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask us why we didn’t believe John. But if we say it was merely human, we’ll be mobbed because the people believe John was a prophet.” So they finally replied, “We don’t know.” And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things. “But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go. “Which of the two obeyed his father?” They replied, “The first.” Then Jesus explained his meaning: “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do. For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to believe him and repent of your sins. “Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same. “Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ “But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him. “When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?” The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.” Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’ I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit. Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.” When the leading priests and Pharisees heard this parable, they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet.
Matthew 21:23-46 NLT
Our answers to God’s questions determine the course of our lives. The leading priests and elders asked Jesus a question about His authority. They cared about authority because they had a lot of it; they were educated and powerful men in their sixties or seventies. Jesus and His followers were likely in their thirties (or younger)—not traditionally educated, not wealthy, not politically powerful, and from the “wrong” part of the country (Galilee). Christ was unafraid of the power of religious leaders and asked them a question about John the Baptist’s authority. They refused to answer because—even with all their power—they were afraid of the people. Jesus warned them with two parables: they needed to do the will of God and repent. They understood His parables but refused to see their own hypocrisy and stubborn hearts. They avoided the deep question, instead solving their problem by murdering Jesus.
Jesus will ask us hard, life-defining questions. Will we take the time to answer them, or will we avoid them? The religious leaders were afraid of threats to their power and of the opinions of others, and most of us struggle with the same things. We people please, break our own boundaries, and live contrary to what we believe to make others happy. These priests and elders—who claimed to serve God—could not recognize that God stood before them, right before their eyes. If we focus more on others than on Jesus, we will miss where He is leading us—a life of significance and purpose with Him.
Are there any important spiritual questions that you have been avoiding? How can you be more focused on what Jesus thinks than on what others think—even the people who are important to you?
