…the chief priests and the scribes came unto Him with the elders, and spake unto Him, saying, Tell us by what authority doest thou these things? Or who is He that gave Thee this authority? Luke 20:1-2
The big boys in Jerusalem were really ticked! Into their cosy little religious world had come a humble itinerate Preacher who had in effect taken over the whole temple and was attracting the largest crowds that the place had ever seen. Jesus of Nazareth had just walked into the place and had chased out the livestock sellers just like He owned the place! This Man spoke with authority, quoting the Scriptures perfectly, commanding rapt attention from His hearers, and entirely taking away from the attention that the religious leaders were accustomed to receiving. Nobody could stand up to Him in a debate. Wherever did this Galillean get His manner? These lads had to find out. So they came to Him with today’s text. They wanted to know where His authority came from. And they entirely missed the obvious!
The temple, which Jesus had purged of the animal peddlers, where He preached and taught so powerfully and effectively, where His miracles and words were attracting huge crowds, was supposed to be the place where God dwelt. How perfectly appropriate for the Lord Jesus to use it as a base for His activities. It was indeed His house. He had every right to be there and to display the evidence of His deity. But He was challenged by those who felt they had some authority, and who didn’t want to give up that authority. What is God’s dwelling today? And does the Lord Jesus receive free rein to work there?
We know that God’s dwelling today is in the place where He has placed His Name; in the place where two or three have been gathered to Himself. Each Assembly fills the New Testament role of the temple in the Old Testament. Designed according to the pattern given by the Lord Jesus Himself, each Assembly is His dwelling place. Jesus chased out the temple’s animal sellers; but what about the Assembly, does he have any business or other inappropriate activities that He needs to purge? We need to be extremely careful what we bring into His Assembly. Most importantly, do we recognize His ownership of the Assembly? Do we conduct ourselves in subjection to His Word? Are decisions made based on what will be obedient to Him and bring honour to His Name?
By the same authority that the Lord Jesus ministered in the temple, He would seek to minister in His Assembly today. Do we recognize His authority to do so? -Jim MacIntosh