By What Authority? —Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 18A/Proper 21A (Matthew 21)

Matthew 21:23-32 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

²³ When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” ²⁴ Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵ Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why, then, did you not believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for all regard John as a prophet.” ²⁷ So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

²⁸ “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ ²⁹ He answered, ‘I will not,’ but later he changed his mind and went. ³⁰ The father went to the second and said the same, and he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him, and even after you saw it you did not change your minds and believe him.

**************

                A lot is happening in Matthew 21. The chapter begins with Jesus’ triumphal entry that includes a symbolic reenactment of a word from Zechariah 9, which calls on the people of Zion to rejoice because its king is riding into the city, riding on a donkey (Zech. 9:9). When the people see Jesus riding into the city, the shout “Hosanna to the Son of David!” (Matt. 21:1-11). After entering the city, Jesus goes into the Temple which he cleanses, for as he declares, drawing from scripture the authorities had made God’s house of prayer into a den of thieves (Mt. 21:12-17). After all of that happens, Jesus curses a fig tree because it isn’t producing fruit and he is hungry as he once again enters the city. This story is rather odd because we’re not used to Jesus getting mad and using his powers for his own benefit (Mt. 21:18-22).

                With all this happening around him, questions arise concerning his authority. The chief priests and elders want to know who had authorized Jesus to cleanse the Temple and enter the city as he did. Apparently, Jesus didn’t go to the Jerusalem permitting office and get permission to enter the city provocatively. Jesus turns the tables on the religious/political leaders (so to speak) by responding to their questions with a question. That question had to do with the baptism of John—did John’s authority arise from heaven or human authorities? This question threw his opponents into disarray since they weren’t sure how to answer. According to Matthew, they faced a quandary. If they said that John’s authority was divine authority, then they faced the question of why they didn’t believe him during his lifetime. If they responded by saying he acted with human authority, they faced the possible ire of the crowd that held John in high regard as a prophet. When in doubt the best answer is “We don’t know!” Because the authorities wouldn’t answer Jesus’ question about John’s authority, he wasn’t going to tell them on what he based his authority.

                While Jesus won’t answer the question of authority directly, he will offer them a parable and then let them figure out the basis of Jesus’ authority. Or more specifically, he will raise the question as to who is going to enter the realm first. The message that Jesus offers the authorities turns the tables on them. They presume that they have the corner on the market when it comes to the realm of God. They’re the righteous ones who have the proper pedigree. But according to Jesus, things work differently in the realm of God. Those who are perceived to be at the bottom of society will end up on top, while those who sit at the top will enter last.

                The question that permeates the encounter with the perceived authorities, a question that is lifted up in the parable, has to do with power. Those who have power generally don’t wish to share it with others, especially if those who are out of power are of a lower class of people. When it came to John’s authority (power), the leaders of the people, especially the Temple authorities, didn’t recognize his prophetic ministry as being authentic despite his popularity among the people. Although in the Gospel of Luke, John is understood to come from a priestly family, that rank isn’t revealed in Matthew’s Gospel. According to Matthew, John’s call came from God. According to Matthew, John fulfilled Isaiah’s prophetic word concerning one who would cry out in the wilderness “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (Matt. 3:1-6).

                Even though the religious and political leaders didn’t recognize John’s authority, they didn’t recognize Jesus’ authority, for like John, Jesus didn’t have the proper credentials. But, like John, Jesus was popular with the people. That made him a threat. The authorities needed to discredit him, but how would they do this? Jesus didn’t make their job easier because he wouldn’t play their games. But he would tell stories that revealed something of his mission.

Our lectionary reading includes the first of three parables that follow the question of Jesus’ authority (Mt.21:28-22:14).  Each of these parables addresses the question of who it is that faithfully answers God’s call to enter the realm of God. Each of the parables includes a father and a son but in different roles. The parables address the religious authorities, as Anna Case-Winters notes, accusing “them of hypocrisy and disobedience, rejecting/persecuting/executing God’s prophets, and not responding to God’s call” [Belief: Matthew, p. 254]. In the parable chosen for this particular Sunday, we hear the story of a vineyard owner who has two sons. The first son initially said no to the father’s request to go out to work in the vineyard, but later decided to go and work in the vineyard. The second son said that he would go, but ultimately decided not to go. The question posed by Jesus is this: Which of the two sons did the will of his father? Is it the one who initially refused or the one who said yes but then flaked out?

In case the hearers/readers miss the point, Jesus offers clarity by suggesting that tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the realm of God before the religious leaders. As Anna Case-Winters points out to the religious leaders they had “said yes to laboring in God’s vineyard, but it is only lip service. Their hypocrisy and disobedience is now unveiled.” As for the tax collectors and prostitutes, they “are the ones who receive and believe the message proclaimed by John and Jesus. They have taken it to heart and will be ahead of the chief priests and elders in the entry line to the reign of God” [Belief: Matthew, p. 254].

As we read this parable, as well as the other two, we need to tread carefully as they can easily be used in supersessionist and anti-Jewish ways. We must always be careful with passages like this because they have been used to justify the persecution of Jews for not accepting the Messiahship of Jesus. So, we need to be careful not to embrace supersessionist interpretations.

So, how should we read this parable and its immediate context (the debate over Jesus’ authority)? If we read this as a critique of hypocritical religious leaders rather than as a critique of Jews, it seems to make the best sense of the passage. Remember that the author (Matthew) is likely Jewish, and his audience is largely Jewish Christians, and Jesus himself was Jewish, so the best way to read this is to see it as a critique of unfaithful religious leaders. If we seek to read this as a word to our times, what might it say about the religious leaders of our day? Who might Jesus criticize for being hypocritical? The answer to that is pretty obvious. There are numerous examples of clergy who have been caught in various compromising positions, whether sexual harassment, pedophilia, or embezzlement. We read of clergy who justify their fine homes, cars, clothing, and private jets—they usually say that God is blessing them for their faith, but I’m not so sure.  

Whether we see this as a word to clergy or Christians in general, might we hear this as a reminder that when it comes to God’s realm, things are often turned upside down. In other words, God works in ways different from the way the world works. Thus, God is concerned first and foremost about those who find themselves at the bottom of the pile.

In an age when so many folks are either fleeing “organized” religion or staying clear of it because they have been burned or know people who have been burned by religion, this might serve as a wake-up call to the church. Consider the many folks who have been sexually abused by clergy and have seen supposedly pious church members destroy each other spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. The large numbers of spiritually wounded folks in our midst raise questions that Jesus can be seen addressing. With so much religiously rooted garbage in our midst, it’s not surprising that many have chosen to give up religion for spirituality. It’s hard to blame those who have walked away.   

As we ponder the message of the passage, perhaps this word from Shawnthea Monroe will offer an appropriate way to understand how this parable might speak to us about how God’s realm functions.

Jesus is trying to open the eyes of religious leaders to an expanded understanding of God’s kingdom work. Thus an attentive preacher might see this short parable as an opportunity to redefine the boundaries of God’s vineyard or even enrich our understanding of what it means to be faithful. Ask yourself, what is the work we are asked to do? Are there people who are not in the church who are still doing the will of the Father? What motivates their good work and how might that be a point of connection with the Christian community?  [Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship (pp. 786-787). Kindle Edition].

When we read the Gospels, it does seem as if Jesus is critiquing the pious ones who proclaim their holiness and lifts up those who might not trumpet their piety but go about their days living the message of God’s grace and mercy. Maybe God is at work outside the boundaries of our religious institutions. That doesn’t mean there is no place for them, but we need to be aware that God isn’t limited by them. Indeed, perhaps there are those who without even knowing it are doing the will of God!

Image Attribution: Mironov, Andreĭ (Andreĭ Nikolaevich), 1975-. Parable of the Two Sons, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=57607 [retrieved September 23, 2023]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org.