"By What Authority?" Is A Political Question?
A prominent and influential man, with no political authority or background, used his skills and financial resources to improve the city in which he lived. He brought medical resources to improve their health, was able to establish peace between gangs, and facilitated social tolerance. In a way, he was a missionary within his own country. The people he was able to help was filled with a new sense of self-worth. They began to use words and do behaviors that identified with a thankful spirit. Even then, they knew that the person behind their improvement was not connected to any particular means of government. Because of his popularity, the established political parties would ask him, “by what authority do you do these things?” They wanted him to commit to the politics of the city, which he refused to do. It is very difficult for political powers to accept independent people who are better at accomplishing goals for the people.
Jesus was one of those people who, during His life, did a lot more for the people than those ruling over them. He healed illnesses, restored peace between people, enabled social integration for those cast aside, made the rejected feel full of self-esteem, and allowed them to identify with a power structure that really did care for them. They followed Him by the thousands and thousands. The political powers were threatened. The people’s concern was not by what authority He did those things, that was the concern of the powerful. What His death on the Cross accomplished is what the established government detested the most. The shed blood of Jesus Christ brought the remission of sins, and that gave them access into the Spirit of God. They were connected to an inner Power that the corrupt worldly powers could not govern. At the cross; the people found God’s perseverance to bring Spiritual healing, found God’s peace and the Holy Spirit, found God’s love and remission of sins, found how much they are worth to God, and God’s faithfulness to establish us as Children of God. That is for each one of us through the Cross of Christ. And the only question those in authority want an answer to is which political party you lean towards, by what authority…..?
“And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, And say unto him, By what authority do thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?” Mark 11:27-28