Power of Words

Some speeches stand out compared to others. “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr., “The Gettysburg Address” by US President Abraham Lincoln, “Their Finest Hour” by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and “Tilbury Speech” by Queen Elizabeth I, to name a few. Our family quotes lines from movies: “George just lucky, I guess” from George of the Jungle, “He don’t know me very well, do he?” from Bugs Bunny, and “I think this boy’s cheese slid off his cracker” from The Green Mile.

At the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus’s words had a powerful impact. Luke writes,

“Jesus was teaching every day at the temple. The high priests and scribes—the leaders of the people—were seeking to ruin him, but they couldn’t find how they could do that because the people were hanging on to everything they heard” (Luke 19:47–48).

The people were mesmerized by whatever he taught that the leaders didn’t dare ruin him. This word for “ruin” (apollumi) stood for someone’s death or defamation of character or name. So, they decided to ask him by whose authority he was teaching such good news (gospel) (20:1–2). The Lord replied,

“I ask you a question; you answer me. Was the baptism of John from heaven or people? (20:4).

Like Jesus, John wasn’t sent out by the religious leaders—high priests and scribes. So, if John could baptize independently, why must Jesus have their permission? That was Jesus’s logic and argument.

The high priests and scribes immediately sensed a trap. If they said John’s authority came from heaven, he would ask them why they didn’t believe John (20:5). If they said John’s authority came from some people, the same crowd that hung to Jesus’s every word would stone the religious leaders because they believed John was a prophet (20:6). They might have even received baptism from John. Knowing the trap they were in, the religious leaders said,

“We don’t know where John received his authority” (20:7).

I am surprised they were willing to admit their ignorance. But it was a safer answer than saying that John’s authority to baptize came from God or the people. If they didn’t care about John, they shouldn’t be caring about Jesus either. Knowing that, Jesus said,

“I will not tell you in what kind of authority I do these things” (20:8).

They asked, “By whose” (this), referring to a person. Jesus wouldn’t answer that, although he was teaching and healing by God’s authority. Neither would he answer, “By what kind of” (poios), referring to his total or partial authority. Knowing what God had asked Jesus to do was not their business. Jesus was harsh with the religious leaders because they intended to ruin him, unlike Nicodemus, who wanted to learn from him (John 3).

In my 31 years of teaching, I have encountered students who ask questions to learn, reconfirm what they know or hear, challenge me, and show the class they are well-read. My favorite questions are those intended to learn, i.e., like iron sharpens iron.

Let’s study the Scripture to learn and, if necessary, change our views, but not to challenge its authority or ruin its authority over people’s lives.