The Seventh Sunday of Easter (G)

Mark 11:27-33

²⁷ And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, ²⁸ and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” ²⁹ Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. ³⁰ Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” ³¹ And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ³² But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. ³³ So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Who does have authority? In a Democracy some people say that the people have all the authority. In a Republic the Authority is handed over to elected officials to do what is right for the people. In a Monarchy it is the Monarch, or King, who has all the authority. These are just various systems of how Authority is distributed.

So who gives you the authority to tell me how to live my life? By what authority do you baptize someone? By whose authority do you preach and teach the Word of God? Who gave the Pharisees their authority? The chief priests claim their authority from the Levitical Priesthood. Pharisees claim their authority for the Torah.

Where does your authority come from? Do you have any authority? Jesus Christ says all Authority in Heaven and Earth has been given to him. John the Baptist was sent by the same authority. Jesus sends you out with the same authority.

He has redeemed you. He has claimed you to be his own. Jesus Christ is the King of God’s Kingdom. He has paid the price for this Kingdom. He is the one who has all the authority. He gives to his Church the Authority to Forgive sins.