NOTES for Mar 11:27-33
27 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, |
28 And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things? |
29 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. |
30 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me. |
31 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him? |
32 But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed. |
33 And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things. |
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Behind Mark the Evangelist's account of the dialogue between Christ and the chief priests, who asked Him about the source of His authority, stands a deep difference in approaches to salvation. The chief priests suppose that the promise of the Messiah and of the salvation He gives to people should simply be fulfilled, to the greater satisfaction of the Jews. The Lord Jesus, by turning to John's baptism, reveals to us that for this promise to be fulfilled our repentance is necessary, that is, the recognition that there is something from which we need to be saved and that we are unable to save ourselves from sin and death. The chief priests mainly have in mind the national salvation of one chosen people, while the Lord speaks of things common to the whole human race.
According to the testimony of ancient Christian authors, Mark, at the request of the Roman Christians, accurately wrote down what the apostle Peter said in his preaching. Why did the apostle include this account in his testimony about Christ? From this point of view, another contradiction comes to the foreground: the chief priests are concerned with a thoroughly earthly question of authority, while the Lord speaks about the essence of the Good News. The chief priests need proofs so they can bow before their authority and avoid making a choice themselves. As for the Lord's words, we can find an explanation in the Gospel of John: "If anyone wants to do His will, he will know whether the teaching is from God."
The Lord refuses to speak about His authority to the chief priests and scribes, who do not want to accept the call to repentance that came from the mouth of John the Baptist. The Lord, who always finds the most precise words for everyone who questions Him, refuses to answer those who are deceitful before Him. And in this deceit, in the refusal of the call to repentance, no meeting with God takes place - perhaps this is what the apostle Peter told his listeners, and this is why Mark the Evangelist included this episode in his narrative.
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