To Tell the Truth

Scripture – Luke 20:1-8: 1One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. 2“Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?” 3He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me, 4John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?” 5They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ 6But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” 7So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.” 8Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

Reflection: So here the direct confrontations begin. The Jewish leaders come to Jesus and question His authority. He deflects their question with one of His own about John the Baptist. They’re left with no answer they care to give.

A couple things stand out to me in this passage. First, no one gave Jesus any authority. He is authority! He’s God in human flesh. Through Him all things were created. Yet who in that day would have been able to understand that answer? I mean, even today, with the benefit of knowing the whole Bible, it’s hard to wrap my mind around that reality.

The second thing I notice is the power of public opinion. These Jewish leaders were afraid of the people. Rather than considering the true answer to Jesus’ question, they ran through the political implications. Lord, save me from that. It’s so tempting to try and please people – to tell them what they want to hear. Yet often the gospel truth runs counter to popular opinion. I think of the Old Testament prophets who constantly brought hard words to the people of God. Lord, give me wisdom and courage to just tell the truth today, whatever it may be.