Jesus’ Authority: It’s Time to Get Some Answers

In the days just before Jesus’ crucifixion, the religious leaders decided they’d had enough of Him.  It was time to get some answers. They asked Jesus where He got His authority. Jesus’ answer to their question is brilliant. I’ll prove it to you in less than 10 minutes.

One of the most common ways that rabbis and disciples would discuss an issue was to use what is called “rabbinic dialogue”.  In its simplest form, rabbinic dialogue is answering a question, with another question.  In doing so, the response would not only answer the original question, but take the discussion to an even deeper level.  Jesus did this often in the Gospels. And when the religious leaders tried to corner Him, Jesus used this technique to turn the tables on them. 

Which Type of Jewish Rabbi Was Jesus?

All the people were saying it. Jesus taught like one with authority – semikah – and not like a Torah Teacher. So, they approached Jesus and asked Him a crucial question:

And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 

Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.  Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.”  And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’  But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. 

So, they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Mark 11:27-33 ESV

Backed Into a Corner

“Where did you get your ‘semikah’?”  That’s the question that the religious leaders wanted an answer to.  So Jesus – like any good rabbi – answers their question with another one: “Where did John’s baptism come from?”  The religious leaders were then backed into a corner.  Everyone had heard about the miracle that occurred when Jesus went to be baptized by John:

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.  John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”   But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”Then he consented.  And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”  

Matthew 3:13-17 ESV

The religious leaders didn’t want to acknowledge what happened at Jesus’ baptism.  The people already understood John to have “semikah”, or they never would have responded to his calls for repentance the way they did.  And as John laid his hands on Jesus and baptized him, God the Father settled the debate by ripping the heavens open and commanding that all listen to Jesus’ teaching.  As one Jewish scholar recently said it: “You Christians don’t get it.  You’re the only disciples whose Rabbi got His “semikah” directly from God.”

If we are to be Jesus’ disciples, the responsibility is much greater than we have realized.  There is no dispute.  If Jesus teaches something, it must be followed.  His “semikah” is directly from God.

A Rabbi’s Yoke

So, what does that mean today? A rabbi’s specific interpretation of how to faithfully obey the Torah was called his “yoke.”  Think about an ox with a yoke over its shoulders pulling a cart or plow behind it.  Some rabbi’s yokes were extremely difficult and hard to follow; others were much simpler.  When a young man was old enough to seek a rabbi to follow, they would carefully seek to understand each rabbi’s yoke, as this would be the way that disciple would be expected to live out the Torah for the rest of his life.  That disciple’s life would be consumed with bearing that yoke.

The Greatest Commandment

The Torah has conflicts in it.  It is impossible to observe every commandment all the time, as some of the commandments cannot be observed at the same time.  We saw this in a previous episode when we talked about the paradox of “The Sabbath vs. the Ox in the Ditch”.  

The Torah makes it clear that no one is to do any labor on Sabbath.  And the Torah also commands that if one finds their neighbor’s ox stuck in a ditch, they are required to help get that ox out.  So the question arose regarding what to do if you find your neighbor’s ox in a ditch on the Sabbath?

No matter what one did, they would be violating Torah.  If they observed the Sabbath command to cease from all labor, they would fail to help their neighbor’s ox.  If they helped their neighbor’s ox, they would be working on the Sabbath.

The result became a debate over which commands hold a higher priority over others.  And the rabbis of Jesus’ day eventually came to develop a simple way of helping their disciples learn the highest priority of their yoke.  This was called the “greatest commandment.”

Another Question

One day, a Torah Teacher came to Jesus seeking to understand His answer to this very question:

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Mark 12:28-34 ESV

My Yoke Is Easy

Jesus made it pretty simple.  Love God with everything you’ve got.  But then He elevated a second commandment to an equal level: love others as much as you love yourself.  Jesus said that all of the commandments are fulfilled in keeping these two.  Love God, and love others.

This is why Jesus said that His way of keeping Torah is really not difficult or heavy.  It’s pretty simple.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30 ESV