Monday Devo
Scripture:
Luke 20:1-8
One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 2 They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”
3 “Let me ask you a question first,” he replied. 4 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”
5 They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. 6 But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.” 7 So they finally replied that they didn’t know.
8 And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”
One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 2 They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”
3 “Let me ask you a question first,” he replied. 4 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”
5 They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. 6 But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.” 7 So they finally replied that they didn’t know.
8 And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Commentary:
20:1–8 The Authority of Jesus Challenged. The question concerning Jesus’ authority (vv. 1–2) is closely associated with his cleansing of the temple (19:45–48). Jesus’ counter-question (20:3–4) confounds his opponents (vv. 5–7). as Jesus was teaching. Cf. 19:47. Do these things describes Jesus’ cleansing of the temple, but also his healing and teaching in the temple (and throughout his ministry), because he is neither an official priestly authority nor a scribal authority, according to his questioners’ sectarian standards. Was the baptism (i.e., the ministry) of John … from heaven (that is, “from God”; 15:7, 18, 21) or from man, i.e., did it have a merely human origin? To avoid the dilemma posed by Jesus’ question (Luke 20:4), his opponents say they do not know, because they feared the consequences of speaking against John the Baptist whose divinely authorized ministry was also carried out apart from official Jewish authority. Their confession of ignorance, however, demonstrates that they have no basis upon which to assess Jesus’ ministry. If they do not know whether John the Baptist was from God, they do not know whether Jesus is, either. Faced with such hostility, Jesus refuses to answer his opponents’ question, and exposes their ignorance.
20:9–18 The Parable of the Wicked Tenants. This parable, while spoken to the people (vv. 1, 9), is directed to Jesus’ opponents (19:47; 20:1, 19) and is intended as an analogy (with many referents) to show that God (the “owner,” v. 13) is taking away the kingdom from Israel.
20:9–18 The Parable of the Wicked Tenants. This parable, while spoken to the people (vv. 1, 9), is directed to Jesus’ opponents (19:47; 20:1, 19) and is intended as an analogy (with many referents) to show that God (the “owner,” v. 13) is taking away the kingdom from Israel.
Questions:
- In the first few verses, the leading priests were asking Jesus who gave Him the authority to do what He was doing. Like, what gives Him the right to come in and correct everything? What is it that makes Him right and everyone else wrong? Jesus' response is incredibly brilliant. In His question about John the Baptist's authority, Jesus narrows it down to two sources of authority: human and divine. If they said John's authority came from God, it would giving legitimacy to Jesus' ministry. But what was their response? Instead of turning to scripture for the answer, instead of looking to the Truth, they "talked it over among themselves." This is a BIG mistake, and it reveals their hearts. Our culture, even Christians, can do the same thing. What are some issues you have seen where Christians will consult each other, or popular opinion, rather than looking to the truth of Scripture? What are the dangers of this way of thinking?
- When they refused to answer His question, Jesus decided to just move on. By not answering, they were clearly rejecting Jesus. He realized that, because of their bias and hostility towards Him, continuing to debate them would be futile and a waste of time. Is there anyone in your life that you have tried to reach but they are still hostile to the truth? Could God be leading you to back off for a while?
Pray:
- That you would consult God's Word, not other people, about how to think about everything.
- That you would reject popular opinion that doesn't line up with the Truth.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
No Comments