What is the meaning of Mark 11:28? By what authority are You doing these things? • The chief priests, scribes, and elders (Mark 11:27) confront Jesus the morning after He has cleansed the temple and silenced commerce there (Mark 11:15-17). “These things” points to those actions, along with His teaching and miracles carried out in the temple courts. • Their words admit that something supernatural is taking place; they do not deny His deeds (compare John 3:2). Yet they refuse to submit, echoing earlier reactions when the crowds marveled that “He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him” (Mark 1:27). • Scripture consistently presents Jesus as acting with inherent, divine authority: He forgives sins (Mark 2:10), commands nature (Mark 4:39-41), and authoritatively interprets the Sabbath (Mark 2:28). Each incident builds the case that His authority is not borrowed but intrinsic. • Their challenge underscores the long-standing tension between human religious authority and God’s Messiah, foreshadowed in Psalm 2:1-3 and fulfilled as Jesus “came to His own, but His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). And who gave You the authority to do them? • The leaders assume legitimate authority must be delegated by men like themselves—priests descended from Aaron or rabbis trained in recognized schools (compare Acts 4:5-7). They demand Jesus name His sponsor. • Jesus later answers indirectly: “Was John’s baptism from heaven or from men?” (Mark 11:30). By linking His ministry to John’s, He exposes their refusal to acknowledge any authority that originates “from heaven.” • The Father Himself is the giver: “The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands” (John 3:35), and after the resurrection Jesus will state plainly, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Matthew 28:18). • Their question reveals spiritual blindness. The very signs foretold in Isaiah 35:5-6 and performed before their eyes testify that God has authenticated Jesus. Yet they persist in unbelief, illustrating 2 Corinthians 3:14, where a veil remains over hardened hearts. summary Mark 11:28 captures a showdown between Israel’s religious establishment and the Son of God. The leaders acknowledge the reality of Jesus’ works yet refuse the divine source behind them. Their twofold demand about authority exposes their unbelief and sets the stage for Jesus to reveal that His commission comes directly from the Father. The verse invites readers to recognize that Christ’s authority is inherent, heaven-sent, and absolute—an authority believers gladly submit to while opponents continue to resist. |
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