By What Authority

Mark 11:27-33, Mark 12:1-12

22 Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for — believe that you have received it and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing.”
  27 They came again to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came 28 and asked him, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do these things? ”
 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; then answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was John’s baptism from heaven or of human origin? Answer me.”
 31 They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him? ’ 32 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ ” — they were afraid of the crowd, because everyone thought that John was truly a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Mark 12:1-12

 1 He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug out a pit for a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went away. 2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the farmers to collect some of the fruit of the vineyard from them. 3 But they took him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent another servant to them, and they hit him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 Then he sent another, and they killed that one. He also sent many others; some they beat, and others they killed. 6 He still had one to send, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenant farmers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill the farmers and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this Scripture:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
 11 This came about from the Lord
and is wonderful in our eyes? ”
12 They were looking for a way to arrest him but feared the crowd because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. So they left him and went away.

GOING DEEPER
Parallel, Related and Referenced Passages
Parallel Accounts: Matthew 21:23-27, 33-46; Luke 20:1-19
 
1) HOW GOD’S AUTHORITY IS REJECTED
A. Through Willful Ignorance

• Mark 1:1–11 — John testifies/ the Father declares about Jesus.
• Matthew 7:7–8 — “Seek, and you will find.”
• John 3:19–21 — People avoid the light because it exposes their deeds.
• Mark 4:23–25 — Those who receive and respond to truth are given more; those who reject it lose even what they have.
• Romans 1:18–25 — Humanity suppresses revealed truth and exchanges it for a lie.
• Hebrews 3:7–13 — Repeated resistance to God’s voice hardens the heart.

 
B. Through Repeated Resistance

• Isaiah 5:1–7 — Israel is pictured as God’s carefully planted vineyard.
• Jeremiah 25:4 — God persistently sent His servants the prophets, but the people refused to listen.
• 2 Chronicles 36:15–16 — God repeatedly sent messengers because of His compassion, but the people mocked and rejected them.
• Acts 7:51–52 — Stephen accuses Israel’s leaders of resisting the Holy Spirit and persecuting the prophets.

 
C. Through Rejecting His Son

• Mark 8:31 — Jesus predicts that He will be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, killed, and raised. 
• John 1:10–11 — Jesus came to His own; they did not receive Him. 
• John 5:22–23 — Rejecting the Son dishonors the One who sent Him.
• Hebrews 1:1–3 — After speaking through the prophets, God has spoken finally through His Son.

 
2) WHY GOD’S AUTHORITY IS REJECTED
A. Self-Rule is an Illusion

• Genesis 3:1–6 — The original temptation to reject God’s word and determine good and evil independently.
• Proverbs 14:12 — A way may seem right yet end in death. 
• Jeremiah 17:9-10 — The human heart is deceitful and cannot safely serve as its own final authority.
• Romans 6:16–18 — Everyone serves a master, either sin or God.
• 2 Peter 2:19 — A person is enslaved by whatever defeats/controls him.

 
B. Rejecting God’s Authority Leads to Destruction

• Psalm 24:1 — The earth and everything in it belong to the Lord.
• Romans 2:4–5 — God’s patience is intended to lead to repentance, but persistent hardness stores up judgment.
• Luke 12:16–21 — The rich fool lives as though his life and possessions belong ultimately to him.
• Gal. 6:7–8 — God can’t be mocked; people reap what they sow.  
• Psalm 2:10–12 — The nations rebel against God’s King, but His rule cannot be overthrown.

3) WHAT WE MUST DO
A. Recognize His Authority

• Matthew 28:18 — Jesus possesses all authority.
• Colossians 1:15–18 — All things were created through and for Him. 
• 1 Cor. 6:19–20 — We are not our own; we were bought with a price.

 
B. See His Goodness

• Exodus 34:6–7 — God is compassionate, gracious, patient, and just.
• Psalm 103:8–14 — The Lord is compassionate, slow to anger, and rich in faithful love.
• Romans 2:4–5 — God’s patience is intended to lead to repentance
• Ezekiel 18:23, 32 — God does not delight in the death of the wicked but calls them to repent and live.
• Romans 5:8–10 — God sent Christ for us while we were enemies. 
• 2 Peter 3:9 — God’s apparent delay is patience, giving people opportunity to repent.

 
C. Accept His Son

• Psalm 118:22–23 — The rejected stone becomes the cornerstone.
• Acts 4:10–12 — The rejected stone is Jesus, and salvation is found in no one else.
• John 10:17–18 — Jesus’ life was not taken from Him; He laid it down willingly.
• Romans 10:9–13 — Salvation comes through confessing Jesus as Lord and calling upon Him.
• Colossians 2:6–7 — Receive Christ Jesus as Lord and continue to walk in Him.