Mtr Mary Trainor
“...by what authority are you doing these things?” Luke 20:2
Dear friend
Years ago in Pismo Beach, California, a small-town celebration was under way with resulting traffic problems.
A regular-looking man wearing blue jeans and a black-and-red checked flannel shirt was directing vehicles. My grandfather was incensed. The nerve. He marched into the intersection and said, “Hey, fella, what gives you the right to direct traffic?”
In one fluid movement, the man reached into a front jeans pocket, withdrew a shiny badge, flashed it, and said, “This does.”
We see a similar confrontation in today’s Office reading (Luke 20:1-8), only those who confront Jesus are not simply nosy old men from the neighborhood. We know from the end of Chapter 19 they are looking for a way to kill him. He knows that, too.
They asked by what authority was Jesus teaching, preaching, healing? And who gave him the authority?
Jesus refuses to flash his badge. But why not just answer? Even knowing these are not questions emanating from sincere interest. The answer might be helpful to someone nearby, even if the questioners are not trustworthy.
Even though he doesn’t answer, Jesus isn’t silent. He offers a question of his own: the baptism given by John, from whence was its authority, heaven or human?
In the end the questioners claim to not know the answer, leading Jesus to not answer their question either.
This time around with this Gospel passage, I am drawn to the side conversation in which the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders process Jesus’ question. I can almost hear game show music counting down as they huddle and confer over the wisdom of one answer versus another.
If they were to say John’s baptism was of heavenly origin, they surmised that Jesus would ask them, why then did you not believe him? If they should say John’s baptism was of human origin, people would stone them, because John was a prophet, don’t you know.
In that processing, they wandered into truth. However circuitous their route, it nonetheless took them through having to consider some things they likely would not otherwise have considered. And in that exercise of having to think about who John was, was the undeclared exercise of touching on the question of Jesus’ authority.
It all would have been simpler if Jesus had just flashed the badge, or in his case, demonstrated some clear sign of super power.
But Jesus did not wield his authority in ways the world is accustomed to seeing. . Earlier in this Gospel John the Baptist sent men to ask, “Are you the one, or are we to wait for another.” Jesus didn’t show a badge then either. Rather, he let his work speak for itself: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up.
Mtr. Mary