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South Bay SDA Church

Phil Mills

Authority

I just want to bow my head for an added word of prayer just before we open God's Word.

Dear Father in heaven, we pray as we look at your Word, your Holy Spirit will open our hearts to the message that you want to speak to us.

Please open your Bibles to Matthew 20, Matthew chapter 20.

The Jewish Passover was coming and throughout the land of Israel, convoys of Jews were making their way toward Jerusalem to sacrifice lambs and pigeons, worship in the temple, and fellowship with family and friends.

But that's not what made this week different.

Joining these travelers living in Israel were Jews from all over the Roman Empire who at great expense made the difficult, long, time-consuming and dangerous trip from far distant lands throughout the diaspora.

This too did not make the week different, for this had been happening for centuries since the restoration of the temple.

Some who in the past had to social distance and quarantine because of leprosy were now headed, healed, and able to join the crowds on their way to Jerusalem.

Some were now freely walking who had been lame only a short time before.

Some of the some of the travelers had been blind but now they saw.

But that's not what made this week different either for that had been happening for 3 years.

Jesus had been restoring health to the sick and infirm.

What made this week different was a certain air of expectancy.

1 rumor, repeated by those attracted to conspiracy theories, reported that the Jewish leaders were actually plotting to take the life of Jesus at this Passover.

Another rumor, reportedly from Christ's own disciples, was that Jesus was to be crowned king in Jerusalem at this Passover.

The disciples did believe that very soon Jesus was to be crowned king.

As they traveled toward Jerusalem with Jesus, the disciples lagged behind him quarreling about who would be the greatest in the new kingdom that he was about to set up.

To the dismay of the other disciples, James, John, and their mother, Mrs.

Zebedee, right during this journey, asked Jesus for the 2 highest positions in the New Kingdom.

It highlighted that all the disciples, not just Judas, had a problem.

They thought authority meant to be considered great in this world.

They thought authority meant to be served, to be treated special, to be number 1.

They didn't understand heaven's foundational principles of authority and Jesus had to address this misunderstanding of authority with all the disciples.

Let's read what Jesus told them about authority.

Matthew 20 starting with verse 25, Jesus called them to himself and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.

But whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.

And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave.

Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many." But even after this instruction, the disciples did not seem able to fully comprehend Christ's words in heaven's view of authority.

Man's view of authority is about being served.

Heaven's view of authority is about serving.

Man's view of authority is about getting.

Heaven's view of authority is about giving.

Man's view of authority enriches me but is costly to others.

Heaven's view of authority sees sacrifice in enriching me by enriching others.

Men's selfish view sees this as undesirable, extravagant, wasteful.

Heaven sees sacrifice for others as a wise and eternally rewarding investment.

Friday, Jesus arrived at the home of Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and Bethany.

Bethany was only 2 miles east-southeast of Jerusalem.

Mary had been awaiting this visit with a mixture of anticipation and dread.

She loved to see Jesus, but she thought this might be the last time she would see him for she had heard Jesus speak of his approaching death and her deep love and sorrow she longed to show him honor.

A great personal sacrifice she had purchased an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very costly with which to anoint his body But as Jesus arrived that Friday afternoon, she heard many of his followers excitingly declaring that he was about to become king, and her grief was turned to joy.

She now happily formed a new idea of what she might be able to do with the spike spikenard that she had purchased.

Simon the Pharisee lived in Bethany on Sabbath afternoon Jesus and disciples ate at his house.

The fruit of Jesus' ministry was evident at this meal.

The host, Simon, had been healed of leprosy.

He had been dead for 4 days, only a month or 2 earlier, and Jesus had resurrected him.

But Jesus had performed the greatest miracle of all for Lazarus' sister, Mary.

Jesus had delivered Mary from the captivity and bondage of a life of sin.

In fact, she was an unwanted embarrassment to Simon.

Mary was present as a servant and she washed Jesus' feet.

No basin, towel, or water was provided, so in place of water she washed his feet with her tears perfumed with that expensive and sweet smelling spikenard used to honor kings.

Her hair served as the towel that was absent.

For man's perspective of authority, Mary was the most insignificant of the visitors present.

But from heaven's perspective of authority and greatness, she emerges as the heroine of the story.

You see, heaven and earth have opposite views about authority.

There were 2 very different reactions to Jesus' table conversation following Mary's act of devotion.

The disciple Judas was angered at Jesus' rebuke of his selfishness.

When he left the meal he sought revenge by betraying Jesus.

He had rejected heaven's view of authority and sought earthly authority with its power, position, and prestige.

He was all in for what he could get, not all in for what he could give.

And the next day, Sunday, seemed to confirm the rumor that Jesus was about to be crowned the King of the Jews.

Hundreds of thousands of people joined a procession traveling up and over the Mount of Olives from Bethany to Jerusalem while Jesus entered the city, not proudly in the Roman Emperor's chariot 1, but humbly on a young donkey.

The triumphal procession was led by the resurrected Lazarus.

Prophecy was being fulfilled, and Jesus for the first time accepted the acclamation and praise of the multitude.

All even the priests and Jewish rulers were now convinced that Jesus was about to assert his authority and proclaim himself King.

The following day, Monday, Jesus did assert his authority and his first act was to cleanse the temple.

After the priests, leaders, and traders fled, Jesus showed what temple worship was designed to look like.

He healed the sick, he taught the people, the children were included in his instruction, and they joined the adults in reverent and happy praise to Jesus.

When Jesus returned to the temple the next day, which was Tuesday, he continued his teaching and healing.

The priests and rulers had a chance to regroup and had a plan to reassert their authority and stop Jesus.

What right did Jesus have to change the worship practices?

Please go to the next chapter of Matthew, Matthew chapter 21.

There are 2 foundational issues that were at the heart of the rebellion of Lucifer in heaven.

Last summer we looked at the first issue, God's secrets.

If you haven't, if you didn't hear the study, it's I've got a secret.

But the second foundational issue of Satan's rebellion was authority.

Power, authority is essential for us to understand today.

It is intrinsically and explicitly bound up in the 10 Commandments.

The second table of the law, Commandments 5 through 10, cover our civil relationships and begin with our relationship to authority and authority figures.

The first commandment, with a promise, is all about authority.

And Paul explains that this broad commandment covers our relationship to all authority.

We are to honor those in positions of authority, honor to whom honor is due.

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Authority

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