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The Authority of Jesus - Part 2

In Matthew 21:23-31 Jesus was teaching to the multitudes as the chief priests and elders came on what authority was He teaching. It took nothing more than a simple sentence for Him to have full authority over the conversation.

This was followed by a simple story and the point in which He was trying to make was driven home by the short parable of the two sons, one of whom worked in the vineyard after saying he would not and the other who did not work in the vineyard after stating that he would.

Just draw a picture in your mind, Who knows how many that were there listening to Jesus teach. In the King James version of the Bible it is called the multitudes. A group of the elders and the chief priests of the church. all standing up close to Him while starting to question Him. I can just see them ready to jump on WHATEVER Jesus told them on whose authority was He teaching. In His wisdom and the leading of the Holy Spirit, Jesus knew just what to say. It totally turned the tables on these guys. The entire time the commonfolk just standing there watching.

Jesus had the authority in what was transpiring. Jesus had the authority to teach.

Those leaders were so busy worrying about what the "world" would think of them that they turned a deaf ear onto all of what Jesus was trying to tell them. They were worried. Not about eternity but about the moment. Don't we see way too much of that even today?

On the other hand, consider those who came to listen to Jesus teach. At first, they had to be scared when these officials first came up. The everyday man was mostly scared of the officials of the church. The biggest fear in those days was being thrown out of the church. That was just about the worst thing that could happen to a person. It sure didn't take them long to have a peace and a feeling of authority themselves after watching what had transpired.

Jesus made all things perfectly clear right here.

- CEV - Matthew 21:32 When John the Baptist showed you how to do right, you would not believe him. But these evil people did believe. And even when you saw what they did, you still would not change your minds and believe.

Jesus told the officials right there that the key to paradise was through righteousness and He held the key. It appears that most everyone else believed Him but the church did not want to lose the power they had. Again, the worldly lusts of the flesh overrode the truth and sense that Jesus was trying to tell them. By now, they were way too busy trying to figure out just how to handle a man like this to even consider something like righteousness OR eternity.

That does sound like a lot of us today. Try and explain away or excuse away why WE should not have to follow the Bible to the letter. At least not now, not today.

Jesus went on to try and explain Himself by telling another parable.

- CEV - Matthew 21:33 Jesus told the chief priests and leaders to listen to this story: A land owner once planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it and dug a pit to crush the grapes in. He also built a lookout tower. Then he rented out his vineyard and left the country.
- CEV - Matthew 21:34 When it was harvest time, the owner sent some servants to get his share of the grapes.
- CEV - Matthew 21:35 But the renters grabbed those servants. They beat up one, killed one, and stoned one of them to death.
- CEV - Matthew 21:36 He then sent more servants than he did the first time. But the renters treated them in the same way.
- CEV - Matthew 21:37 Finally, the owner sent his own son to the renters, because he thought they would respect him.
- CEV - Matthew 21:38 But when they saw the man's son, they said, "Someday he will own the vineyard. Let's kill him! Then we can have it all for ourselves."
- CEV - Matthew 21:39 So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

This is much like those leaders were wanting to do and before it was over, that is exactly what they did. They sure didn't gain any inheritance from them, Not at this point anyway but they were thinking more of how to rid themselves of this man in order to preserve the power they have over the people.

Even we, as Christians today, will at times want to rid ourselves of the Lord to keep from having to tell someone about Him or to continue in one of our sinful tendencies.

- CEV - Hebrews 6:4 But what about people who turn away after they have already seen the light and have received the gift from heaven and have shared in the Holy Spirit? What about those who turn away after they have received the good message of God and the powers of the future world? There is no way to bring them back. What they are doing is the same as nailing the Son of God to a cross and insulting him in public!

As a true Christian, we have to stay on track, that narrow trach that leads us through the straight and narrow gate.

- CEV - Matthew 21:40 Jesus asked, "When the owner of that vineyard comes, what do you suppose he will do to those renters?"

Jesus asked these leaders point blank what would happen to these men, would they receive their inheritance.

- CEV - Matthew 21:41 The chief priests and leaders answered, "He will kill them in some horrible way. Then he will rent out his vineyard to people who will give him his share of grapes at harvest time."

The exact answer that Jesus knew they would say as He finishes the parable, telling these men just exactly what they were doing. The difference here was that Jesus fit their demise into the parable in which He had already begun telling. He also had a few words for them in which having been leaders of the church, should have known what the scriptures said.

- CEV - Matthew 21:42 Jesus replied, "You surely know that the Scriptures say, 'The stone that the builders tossed aside is now the most important stone of all. This is something the Lord has done, and it is amazing to us.'

Again, like so many of us today, we receive the Lord as our Savior then continue to turn our backs on Him to gain something, power, greed, the want to get along with the "click", so many reason we will find ourselves straying from the Lord.

- CEV - Matthew 21:43 I tell you that God's kingdom will be taken from you and given to people who will do what he demands. - CEV - Matthew 21:44 Anyone who stumbles over this stone will be crushed, and anyone it falls on will be smashed to pieces." - CEV - Matthew 21:45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard these stories, they knew that Jesus was talking about them. - CEV - Matthew 21:46 So they looked for a way to arrest Jesus. But they were afraid to, because the people thought he was a prophet.

The leaders knew that Jesus was talking about them but by now, they were so hung up in what they might do with this man that the meaning of this parable went right over their heads. They even talked amongst themselves about taking Him (putting Him under arrest) but in even that, their foremost thought was not of Jesus but keeping the power over the people.

I know Christians today that will go to extreme lengths to convince themselves that whatever little sin they harbor deep in their hearts is okay for them to do. It may be wrong for someone else to do the exact same thing but humans do have a way of fooling our ownselves, for whatever reason.

If you know that one of your little hidden secrets, a habit, some sin in particular that you will find reason why it is okay to do this thing was NOT okay and as a Christian, there is no GOOD reason to sin then just where would that leave you. It would leave you in one of two places.

Giving up that sin or working harder to convince yourself as to why that sin is okay for you.

It is the Holy Spirit that is convicting Christians of a sin. This conviction alone should tell you that this particular sin is NOT okay and can NOT be excused away for any reason. You have been convicted of this sin and it will stand between you and the full goodness of God. We have to deal with our convictions or be ready to suffer the consequences.

So many times when we read about how the pharisees wanted to do away with Jesus and the reasons why. Those same things can come real close to knocking on our own doors too. We have to deal with our convictions.

Being a Christian is not easy, especially when you fight it the whole way. There comes a time in each of our lives that we will just have to say, okay Lord, I am ready to surrender it all to you. I am ready to give all of my sins to you, all of my anger, my hatred, anything that will stand in the way of all of your goodness that you have for me and myself.

Once a person reaches this point, they are in no way perfect, they will continue to sin but they then have the covering of grace as God sees this person doing their best to turn away from any sin that is standing in their way.

Listen to your convictions, deal with them and you will be blessed. This is the way to have authority over this world though Jesus.



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