Authority

Mark 11:27-33 (NRSV)

27 Again they came to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him 28 and said, "By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?" 29 Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me." 31 They argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 32 But shall we say, 'Of human origin'?"-they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."

I have had the TV on the "Bio Channel" all afternoon. I haven't really been focusing on it any of it, but it's been playing in the background. One of the shows was a program that talked about psychic healing. It discussed the laying on of hands and using "energy" to heal people from their diseases. The subject of "how does this happen" came up several times. A lot of the healers had been through near death experiences and beyond that and "we just don't understand how it works yet" they didn't have any explanation.

By what authority were they healing people? I don't remember them saying these people were particularly religious but the methods they were using were pretty much par-for-the-course Christian unction. The notable exception people a lack of prayer but still. Sometimes a thing has power--whether you believe in it or not.

Sometimes you have to let it happen for it to happen. Sometimes you have to realize your own power --- or the power you've been given---to take control of the situation. I read somewhere, of course, I can't remember where, that every good deed done is done 'unto the Lord' even when the doer doesn't intend it so. I believe that. I also believe God helps whom God helps and doesn't check to see if you're a member of the correct country club first.

When the Pharisees ask Jesus what authority he does these things by they are doing exactly that. Who are you to do these things? What school did you go to? Who said you were allowed to do them? Do you have a license for that?

Jesus' answer? A question. As usual. Probably infuriated the whole lot of them. They tell him they do not know the answer---which is a flat lie--they had opinions--and he tells them what they really need to know: It certainly isn't by their authority that he's doing these things and he doesn't need their permission.

If God the Son didn't need the permission of the Pharisees then God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit certainly don't need our permission or anyone else's to do good work through others. God will help whom God helps...and he doesn't care if a council approved it first.