Wednesday in The Word for August 28, 2024

Mark 11:27-33

Jesus’ Authority Questioned

27 Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.

28 And they said to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?”

29 But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:

30 The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.”

31 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven, ’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

32 But if we say, ‘From men’ ”—they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.

33 So they answered and said to Jesus, “We do not know.”

And Jesus answered and said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

What caused them to question His authority? (Mark 3:22, 23, 11:1-26, Luke 19:45-48)

What’s so eternally important about the issue of authority? (Genesis 3:4, Matthew 7:29, Luke 3:21, 22, 4:4, 8, 12, 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, Revelation 5:13, 14)
Why did the Lord employ questions-especially in the face of unbelief? (Luke 2:49, 5:21-24, 33-39, 6:2-5, 11:15-22, Mark 3:4)
How was John the Baptist’s ministry so critically connected to Jesus’s ministry? (John 1:6-8, 15-34, 3:30, 5:33-35, Luke 7:29, 30)
How did those who sought to ambush Jesus end up being trapped themselves? (Mark 11:31, 32)

When did you surrender to His authority? (Psalm 100:3, Luke 4:4, Romans 13:1, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, Ephesians 4:4-7, 11-16)
How does His authority compel me to share the Gospel ambitiously? (Matthew 28:18, 19, Acts 1:8, 1 Peter 3:15)