[Jesus and the disciples] came once more to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple court the chief priests, scribes, and elders came to him and siad, "By what authority are you acting like this? Who gave you authority to act in this way?" Jesus said to them, "I also have a question for you, and if you give me an answer, I will tell you by what authority I act. The baptism of John: was it from God, or from men? Answer me." This set them arguing among themselves: "What shall we say? If we say, 'From God,' he will say, 'Then why did you not believe him?' Shall we say, 'From men'?" - but they were afraid of the people, for all held that John was in fact a prophet. So they answered, "We do not know." And Jesus said to them, "Then I will not tell you either by what authority I act."
The third day of Holy Week is chock full in the Gospel of Mark - the parable of the vineyard owner, the Sauducees (the party that supported the current accomodationist priests of the Temple who did not believe in the resurrection from the dead) asking about marriage after the resurrection, and the "Little Apocalypse" in Chapter 13 - but I chose this particular passage because it gets to the heart of all that is to follow. Those who challenge Jesus assume authority and power, yet are unwilling to actually use it, except in underhanded, evil ways. Jesus, who acts with authority, refuses to acknowledge its source, but is very public in his acts and words.
One can say much about this exchange. Power, authority - the assumption of who has them and their sources is an ongoing problem in human social life. Very often, those who assume power and authority, without any mandate or source, are the most arbitrary, and the most fearful. Whether it's Henry VIII grabbing monasteries and killing cardinals, Czar Peter the Great cutting off beards, or Josef Stalin, Adolf Hitler, and Chairman Mao killing just about everyone, they assume authority and absolute control, yet rule out of absolute fear and with secrecy, relying upon deceit to function day to day.
Jesus, who is open and honest with a disingenuousness easily mistaken for naivete, does so out of quiet confidence that power and authority are illusions used for destructive purposes. The fear the "leaders" show is indicative of the fear any leader has for those who exercise authority publicly. Any challenge needs to be met head on, but the cheerful refusal to acknowledge the source of authority on the part of Jesus is an object lesson for us all in how to respond to those who demand "By what right" we speak and act as we do. Authority is for those who actually have none. Legitimacy is for those who do not have it. Power in this world is only the power to control and, inevitably, destroy.
