Sharing Bread Matthew 21:23-27

SHARING BREAD

²³ Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”

²⁴ Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ²⁵ John's baptism--where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn't you believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘From men’--we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

²⁷ So they answered Jesus, “We don't know.”

Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

Matt 21:23-27 (NIV)

Much contention and controversy followed Jesus as He was preaching the Gospel.  Contention and controversy often nip at the heels of those bringing the Gospel today as well.  We can expect it as Satan is not one bit eager to give up his fight.  Furthermore, Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount that we are blessed in our persecutions for righteousness sake:

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”   Matt 5:11-12 (NIV)

 

John also records Jesus’ Word to us regarding this in his Gospel:

 

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.”   John 15:18-20 (NIV)

 

“Jesus promised His disciples three things:  that they would be completely fearless, absurdly happy, and in constant trouble.”   F.R. Maltby

In our verses for today our Lord’s great contenders were the chief priests and elders of the land – the religious elite – those who should have believed yet chose to be blinded to the Truth by their darkened eyes of envy and pride.  We find here these enemies of the Lord interrupting His teaching – they did not desire to receive His instructions nor were they eager for others to receive them.  Jesus was well aware that He entered to teach where He would be surrounded by enemies and in the midst of danger.  These religious elite approached Jesus haughtily challenging Him to produce His orders – His right to be teaching, His right to His miraculous healings.  Surely their question was put forth to ensnare and entangle Him.  Had He been silent they would have insinuated He was a usurper.  If He had said His power was from God they would have claimed blasphemy.  I can’t imagine what response they were expecting to receive from the Master – did they want Him to produce a scroll giving Him written authority from above?  Did they imagine the heavens parting and a Voice from above verifying His authenticity?  Did they want Him to remain a mute?  Had He not already proved His authority through His miracles and the teaching and fulfillment of His Word?  How insolent their demand was of Him!

Loving their power and seeking to hold it in their tight fisted grip, these religious elite could not imagine Him to have had any authority whatsoever since they had not bestowed Him any.  How He kept from zapping them to me shows more restraint and is just as much a miracle as restoring sight to the blind or healing the lame!  Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus.

“O the deep, deep love of Jesus.  Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!  Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!  Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love, leading onward, leading homeward, to my glorious rest above!   O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore!  How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, never more!   How He watches o’er His loved ones, died to call them all His own; how for them He intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne!  O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best!  ‘Tis an ocean full of blessing, ‘tis a haven giving rest!  O the deep, deep love of Jesus, ‘tis a heav’n of heav’ns to me; and it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee!”   Samuel Trevor Francis     

I find it interesting that they sought to silence Him yet by His wisdom He silenced them.  I am reminded of the Truth of King David’s words in 2 Samuel:

²⁶ “To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
²⁷ to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. ²⁸ You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.”   2 Sam 22:26-28 (NIV)

Jesus was also fulfilling His own command found in Matthew:

¹⁶ “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”   Matt 10:16 (NIV)

 

Thus Christ avoided the snare set for Him justifying Himself and refusing to gratify them.   Wisdom is always proved right by her actions.

 

“There are five Gospels: Matthew Mark, Luke, John, and the Christian, and some people will never read the first four.” Gypsy Smith

What I glean from this:

·        To be sure, contention and controversy often follow where the Gospel is preached. 

·        Envy and pride blind Truth.

·        I am to be as shrewd as a snake and as innocent as a dove.