The dispute about authority (3)

Jesus replied, "I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.(Mark 11:29)

Now Jesus is disputing with the high posting religious leaders in Jerusalem temple about authority. Jesus didn’t give a direct answer for the question of “By what authority are you doing these things?” Instead, Jesus would ask one question. If they answered then Jesus would give them answer. There were two reasons in Jesus that Jesus used indirection method.

First, Jesus might know their question was a question for question; furthermore it was a question to corner Jesus into trap. Even in classroom such question is given. Especially this phenomenon is distinguished to the seminary students who are with full of conviction of their faith. In fact they don’t want to know theology but confirm their good faith. For example, “Professor, do you believe the virgin birth of Jesus or not?” Or “Do you believe the Bible as a revelation of God or not?”

Second, Jesus’ authority is secured of its certainty not by the word of man but by the Holy Spirit. In those days the people with religious vested right judged people externally couldn’t understand Jesus’ real authority. According to John’s gospel, when the Pharisees picked hole that Jesus’ witness was false Jesus said, “my other witness is the Father, who sent me” pointing out that they judged by human standards. (John 8:15-18) He said, the one who sent Jesus (Father God) was with his teaching and activities. It's like preaching to deaf ears to explain to the high priests.

Jesus authority was the same with it’s of God. At such level, early Christians confessed that Jesus was sitting on God’s right side. A real authority comes from God only.

The dispute about authority (2)

"By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you authority to do this?" (Mark 11:28)

The question of the high priest, the scribe and the elder, the representative of three parties in Sanhedrin was two.

First, “By what authority are you doing these things?” ‘these thing’ might mean narrowly a temple cleaning incident and widely the entire things that Jesus had done in his official life. Considering this question only they seemed did not bother about Jesus’ activity itself. They asked about his authority to do these things, which was his qualification. It meant, “You are not a priest, a scribe and an elder then by what qualification do you teach people, heal the diseases and argue the rights and wrong of the merchandizing activities in the temple?”

Second, “And who gave you authority to do this?” It was a resource of his authority. Jesus didn’t receive a regular Rabbi education. They knew it. Despite knowing this point they questioned such question to Jesus in order to corner Jesus. The fact Jesus was acquitted of the sin of blasphemy later already predicted in such question.

It is no exaggeration to say that Jesus was crucified on the cross by a religious authority. Considering the essence of religion the religious leaders should try to save life. However, they killed the one who strived for saving life. This fact is related to not merely religious matter but the entire human history. The authority often used violence to others.

Of course we cannot flatly reject authority. The authority as a teacher, a doctor and a conductor is compulsory. The problem will be authoritarianism. Authority is the power internally given but authoritarianism is the power externally made. Authority is a volunteering power but authoritarianism is oppressing power. Those who do not have authority eventually take the way of authoritarianism.

The dispute about authority (1)

They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. (11:27)

According to Mark’s report, Jesus is now entering into Jerusalem third times. Riding on a donkey was the first (Mark 11:1), the time to clean the temple was the second (Mark 11:15) and the incident happened in the above verse was the third. The atmosphere was getting worse. Finally an incident happened at the third entry.

The content says when Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the teachers of the law and the elders came to Jesus. They belonged to the three parties to represent Sanhedrin, the supreme court of Israel in those days. There were the temple guard and officers in the temple. Their coming to Jesus signifies they seriously accepted the matter related to Jesus. The matter might be the temple clearing incident of the previous day.

For them the temple was an absolute object. Not only they but all the people in Israel thought like that. Even Roman Empire which colonized Israel allowed autonomy for such religious sacred place. Jesus also didn’t intention to devalue the temple clearly. The problem was that Jesus wasn’t able to neglect those merchandising activities which were happening in the temple. Jesus put the authority of the temple not in outward but inward. Jesus should put it right when such inner authority lost its prestige.

Now the highest power group of those days appeared before Jesus thinking that he didn’t recognize the authority of the temple. If we see the weight of authority that expressed in the surface it couldn’t be comparable. Jesus was a mere simple wandering preacher while others were a kernel power group of Sanhedrin centering in Jerusalem temple. They now began to dispute. The theme of disputing was what was a real authority?

A short aphorism (3): forgiveness

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins." (11:25, 26)

The above verse about prayer is mentioned in Matthew 6:5-15, the end part of series of teaching about a prayer. “But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Though Mark stated it positively while Matthew negatively the contents are same.

Forgiveness is the most important part in human relationship but the most difficult part to put into practice. It is important for a broken human relationship only can be restored by this. It is difficult for we don’t know how to forgive others.

I’m not saying the forgiveness which is practiced formally. We forgive others by saying but actually we don’t do the work of forgiving others. As we see the parable of a prodigal son, if my son asks forgiveness then I may forgive him. If my friend who insulted me or cheated me asks forgiveness then I may forgive him. However, if others don’t recognize their fault or do not ask forgiveness then it is hard for us to forgive them. Furthermore, there remains certain level of scars though I have forgiven them from my heart. This is an existential limitation of human, hard to overcome.

In my point of view, this problem also may be overcome by relationship with God only. So the author of gospel might say that the way to be forgiven by God is to forgive others. Those who know God’s forgiveness only are able to forgive man’s fault.

There are some who feel difficult to forgive the fault of friend, family, relative and fellow Christian. They may suffer from a guilty conscience due to this. We have to find out a new way. Entering into the fact that God has forgiven us through Jesus’ Christ is the way.

A short aphorism (2): prayer

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (11:24)

The original form of the above verse about prayer is Matthew 11:22, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." The aphorism about prayer has changed little by little according to the process of transmission. However, the above verse is sure about prayer.

First, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it. Here what we have to ask is not mentioned. It signifies believing that we have received whatever we asked for is important. It is the word about how do we depend on God. It points out an absolute dependence. We never have any work to do with our own. The root of existence is not in us. Our breathing also is not our independent ability. If there is no air to breathe our will to breathe air has no meaning at all. The word, “Believe that you have received it” means to entrust our life into God absolutely.

Second, it says, “if we ask for in prayer it will be ours.” No one may read it as an actual language. It doesn’t mean to throw the mountain into the sea or everybody can be a rich. Though we may get these things in this way we cannot get our spiritual satisfaction. Compare to the past we are living as a king with an affluent life but not happy with this.

If I say it in a little deeper level, the entire life is the answer of prayer to those who pray truthfully. The matter is we haven’t realized it yet. When a child was refused from his mother as he requested a knife, it even in fact what the child want. For it was the way to protect his life.

A Short aphorism (1): Faith

"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.(11:23)

After a fig tree incident Jesus narrates three aphorisms, faith (23), prayer (24) and forgiveness (25). These aphorisms might be Jesus’ direct word. According to the Bible scholars’ explanation, these aphorisms have formed before Mark’s gospel’s writing and it each shows its independent tradition. Let’s see faith first.

Luke’s gospel says about faith as following, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.” (Luke 17:6) Matthew 17:20 also has a similar content. However, Mark’s gospel doesn’t have the important expression of Luke and Matthew’s gospel, “a mustard seed’. And Luke’s gospel examples ‘a mulberry tree’ while Matthew and Mark ‘a mountain’. Matthew 21:21, the report of a fig tree tradition repeats the same phrase ‘a mountain will be thrown into the sea.’ All these facts clearly signify that such form of phrase already had settled in the early Christianity era.

This sort of expression is hyperbole. Though you may have strong faith you cannot throw a mountain into the sea. Through such hyperbole the authors of the gospel delivers the fact that Jesus is Messiah. Messiah is a savior. Nothing is impossible for the savior. So the thing to wither a fig tree and to throw a mountain into sea should be possible for him.

If we think here we also can do the same as we have faith, it is embarrassing. We are saved by believing the fact that Jesus is Messiah. In other word, we are participated in the messianic event by believing Messiah.

HAVE FAITH IN GOD

"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. (Mark 11:22)

Hearing Peter’s report of a withering fig tree, Jesus said unexpectedly, “Have faith in God.” What relationship does it have between a withered fig tree that had cursed in the morning and withered in the evening and the matter of having faith in God?

The answer was given by yesterday’s meditation. A fig tree signifies Israel. They didn’t bear fruit. They didn’t believe God truthfully. Such Israel was not different from a withered fig tree and they would be thrown into the same destiny. Does it really right diagnosis?

Israel was the truest nation to believe God at view of the Bible history. They thought they were the people chosen by God. Practically their religious tradition was peerless. The spiritual inheritances to mankind also are marvelous. The Sabbath system and prophet’s spirituality are incomparably great.

However it cannot be an index of faith. On the contrary, the more such things they have the lesser possibility would be having faith in God. Ironically, there are many cases of lacking of the power of faith despite glittering outer shape. In those days Israel’s religion already had fossilized and became to lose its life. The Sabbath day that should give life to the people rather operated as an absolute regulation which was nothing related to life. Under such status, faith couldn’t but be chocked.

It had happened to Israel for they didn’t think the fact seriously that there were not much relation between a religious activity and the faith toward God. It can be applied to us today too. So do we too live without much concern on God by indulging our various faith programs?