“Jesus, who gave you the authority?” That’s the question that many modern people still have. Those who don’t trust in Christ simply can’t imagine why the words of a Jewish rabbi spoken some 2000 years ago should have any bearing on how they live their lives. And they frankly resent it when we Christians insist that the Scriptures contain absolute truth that applies to everyone all the time.

The chief priests and scribes and elders of Mark’s generation were no different. No, like so many modern unbelievers, they rejected Jesus’ authority, even while they insisted that everyone else should agree with their man-made opinions. And they tried to “cancel” Jesus to prevent Him from influencing the multitude Mark mentions in verse 32.

But instead of proving His authority by performing one of His miraculous signs, Jesus simply pointed to the testimony of John the Baptist, another prophet that the multitude respected. For John had made it clear that Jesus’ power was much greater than his own (Matthew 3:11). And John had said that Jesus would use His authority to judge everyone in the world, protecting the righteous and destroying the wicked (Matthew 3:12).

But instead of bullying everyone into submission the way the chief priests and scribes and elders tried to do, John said that Jesus would exercise His great authority as the Lamb of God. In other words, Jesus took away the sins of the world by dying on behalf of His people (John 1:29). He thus has the authority to impute His righteousness to those who trust in Him, just as He has every right to reject those who have spurned the generous gift He offers them.

No, there’s simply no getting around the absolute authority of Jesus. The only question for us is how we will respond to it. Will we accept His gracious pardon? Or will we go on denying the legitimacy of His righteous rule – to our eternal peril?

Mark 11:27-33 (NASB)

27 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, and scribes, and elders came to Him,
28 and began saying to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?”
29 And Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
30 “Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.”
31 And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’
32 “But shall we say, ‘From men ‘?”– they were afraid of the multitude, for all considered John to have been a prophet indeed.
33 And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”