By What Authority
On Wednesday September 16, 2020, Ohio governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 272 into law that prohibits any public official like himself from having the authority to close houses of worship within the state.
Other states like California have ordered houses of worship to not meet indoors due to the COVID-19 spread. Governor Newsom and the State of California recently went to court with Grace Community Church (pastored by John MacArthur) and ordered them to stop meeting indoors for worship or they would face consequences.
Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s death has ignited a lot of political news. Few things fascinate as much as the power of a president to set legal precedent for generations. President Trump promised and has made a nomination. Partisans are drawing battle lines.
I saw this week the City Council in Berkley California outlawed unhealthy food items to be placed in checkout lines at stores.
In the back of our minds, don’t we question: Does he, or they, have the authority to do this?
The word “authority” is a strong word. A word filled with meaning. When we hear the word authority, there is a certain force about that word. There can even be a feeling of intimidation. When we talk about our authorities, we rightfully have a sense of respect, maybe awe, sometimes fear. (Depending on the circumstances).
Authority denotes permission, privilege, power, rule, control, influence. When someone has authority, it means that they’re on top of other people. They have responsibility. They are able to determine things, decide things, render judgements, to wield certain rights and privileges. In our homes we say that there is authority, resting with the father, or mother, the parents. In government, first we have the President, then there are other authorities: the police and those who govern us. Those in the military truly understand how authority works. In schools, business, in the plant, your job, truth is, in any dimension of life there are authorities, people who have privilege, power and permission to set the rules, to determine judgements and verdicts.
We live in a society in which authority is very important. Without it, chaos seems to take over. Don’t you want to know who is in charge at meetings and things? I don’t know about you, but I really hate to go to a meeting where nobody really is in charge. You know the ones where the discussion seems to go on and on with no real direction. Would someone please call the question so we can vote? These usually ends up being a waste of time. I try to avoid them, unfortunately, once I’m there it’s too late to escape. How about a meeting when you disagree with who is in charge? My friend Chip Thullbery could run a meeting like no other, where things moved along with order and expediency.
Today I want to talk about the ONE who has the authority that surpasses all other authorities. In Matthew chapter 28, verse 18 Jesus said this, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Now, that is an amazing claim to power, to permission, to right. Jesus also demonstrated that fact very well in His ministry. Unfortunately, that claim didn’t end it. That claim didn’t fix it then or now. Because of those who doubt, deny and refuse to believe. Because, if they did everything would change forever! So then, the thing to do is deny the authority! Who gives that authority?
Our Gospel lesson today comes right after Jesus had healed the two blind men on the road from Jericho. He had just ridden into Jerusalem on a donkey to the shouts of, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Jesus had just entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying, He overturned their tables, spilling everything on the floor. Healed the blind and the lame in the temple, he cured them all. Symbolic withering of the fig tree. There had been numerous encounters, challenges and opportunities when Jesus had caught the Jewish authorities in His parables. They were not happy.
Make no mistake, the chief priests and the scribes were watching. They saw the amazing things that Jesus was doing and when they heard the children crying out, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became angry and said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself?’” The whole city was in turmoil. Things were beginning to run out of their control and their comfortable position of authority seemed to be threatened.
Today’s encounter in the temple with the chief priests and the elders of the people wasn’t going to be any easier than any of the times that they had challenged Jesus in the past. Today’s encounter might well be that moment when things were finally going to come to a head. You see, this question is being asked by those who in only a few days will constitute the court that will sentence Him to death. A truth that Jesus knew.
“Who gave you the right to do such things?” demanded the temple authorities, and the leaders of the people. In other words, “Who do you think you are?” Jesus could have said, “Ask Peter, he knows!” (Remember Peter at Caesarea Philippi when he said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”) But, such things are only revealed by “My Father which is in Heaven!” Instead, Jesus answered by asking His own question about the authority of John the Baptist. Jesus knew that they weren’t really looking for an answer. He knew that they were only trying to trap Him by His response. So, by asking them the question, He put the ball back in their court. A question they refused to answer, because by doing so, they would be getting themselves in trouble.
Then Jesus pushes the encounter further with His Parable about the Will of the Father and the Two sons. The son that originally refused, but then obeyed is like those in Israel who were disobedient to the law, such as the tax collectors and prostitutes. But when John came with the message of true righteousness through the announcement of the arrival of the kingdom of God, they obeyed God’s call and repented. By contrast, the religious leaders are like the son who agreed but did nothing. They were externally obedient to the law, but when God sent his messenger John the Baptist, they did not obey God’s message through him. In essence Jesus said to them, “You guys say you obey the Law but you miss the whole point of the Law-to make the Temple so full of beauty and goodness and truth that the whole world thirsts to worship there.” The prostitutes and tax collectors refused to obey the Law but when they heard my preaching they repented. So, who is the saint and who is the sinner here?
The Leaders of the Temple were very comfortable in their own world, inwardly focused. They loved their status, their positions of power. They had everything under control, they had 613 laws to make sure of it. They failed to realize that God is more than law. God wanted them to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel” serving in the vineyard bringing salvation and love. Jesus’ illustration of working in the vineyard, is symbolic of harvesting souls. I think some Jews at first thought Jesus could be in line with their ways and traditions, after all He was a Jew. In their minds they were already obeying God so how is He accusing them of being unrepentant and unwilling? The factor was, they could not see their sin of not doing God’s will and they became murderously furious when Jesus revealed their hypocrisy and sin to them. In their pride they believed that they were God’s good children and sons of Abraham, so they were not going to have any part of Jesus’ commands to repent, stop being hypocrites, and join His disciples to work in the vineyard preaching the Kingdom of God to all the world. They blindly thought they just automatically had God’s favor and inheritance just by their race and religion. After all, they were doing their rituals, sacrifices, fasts, and repetitive prayers.
Jesus was offering them and us so much more. Jesus was offering life. The tax collectors came because their methods weren’t working for them. Something was missing and they knew it. What they found was something radically different. New Life.
However, it’s much harder when we have all the trappings of happiness. It is hard to see the flaws in our ways when things seem to be good. When we believe that we are happy because we have everything that we need. Money, success, nice house, job, power, and authority. Jesus is saying that you are missing it! Him! He is calling us to submit to His Lordship. Then, we will find true fulfillment and happiness. This will happen when we go out into the vineyard, when we let go of those things in our lives that cause us to focus only on ourselves. Our other option is to be like the authorities by spending all our energies on our own church, our own families, our businesses, our houses, the key word here is “OUR”. Instead of reaching out into the world that we live in. Sharing the love of Christ in our world by living out our faith. Unfortunately, it may take losing those things to realize that the things that we have relied on in the past are not working.
Because of Covid-19, Racial Tension, Political Division, Economic Struggles, and Isolation 2020 cannot pass quick enough. As if the turn of the calendar will change things. For many, it might well be remembered as having been the most challenging of our lives. Every one of us has been forced to leave our comfortable lives. We have all been inconvenienced in one way or another. Some have lost the security of our jobs, health or status, some of us have lost loved ones. We have all had to decide whether or not we will submit to someone else’s authority by wearing a mask, follow the arrows at the grocery store, or social distancing.
I would like to suggest to you that this year has been and continues to be a year of opportunity. We have learned how to reach out, far beyond the walls of Good Shepherd. We have learned how to do virtual church, use Facebook, YouTube and the internet. Through Fr Tim’s C.S. Lewis Narnia series, Tuesday morning online Bible Study, Compline, Sunday Worship, Vacation Bible School, and Youth Group. Because of these “new” ways of serving, we have reached people all across the country. Our reach in a typical week is at least 10 time what will fit in the church on a normal Sunday. There are people watching us right now from many other states. We have reached out into the community through our Outreach and Discretionary Funds. Our relationship with Care Center and Polk Avenue Elementary School. Just yesterday, because of a suggestion by our Sr. Warden Mariann Holland and a group of our parishioners went out into the neighborhood with door bags inviting our neighbors to join in our programs.
My closing thought for each of us is this: Where is your vineyard? Who are the people who today more than ever need you to reach out to them? Have you spoken to your neighbors? Who are the lost and lonely around you? Who are those that are struggling? Who are those that desperately need the Love of Christ in their lives? Remember, we have been called by the one whom “All Authority in Heaven and on Earth” belongs; we are the workers in the vineyard!
AMEN.