Mark 11:32

The Explanation

Jesus is walking in the temple in Jerusalem. It is busy there. People stand close to hear Him.

Then a group of important men comes toward Him. Chief priests, scribes, elders. Men with long robes and serious faces. They are the men who normally decide what happens in the temple. And they are angry, because yesterday Jesus turned over the tables of the money changers. He said the temple should be a house of prayer.

"By what authority do you do these things?" they ask. That means: who says You are allowed to do this? Who gave You permission?

They think they have caught Him. If Jesus says, "I decided this Myself," they can say He is bragging.

But Jesus asks them a question back. "John, who baptized people in the river, did God send him, or did he think it up himself? Answer Me."

Now it goes quiet. The important men lean their heads together and whisper. You can almost hear them thinking.

"If we say God sent John, then Jesus will ask: why didn't you believe John, then?"

"And if we say John thought it up himself…" They stop. They look over their shoulders at the crowd standing around them. Because everybody there loved John. Everybody believed John was a real prophet, a man who spoke God's words. If they say something bad about John, the people will be furious.

So they are stuck. Not because they do not know the answer. They are afraid.

And then they say the strangest thing. "We don't know."

They did know. But saying it out loud was too scary.

What Does This Mean?

These men were not really asking a question. They wanted to trap Jesus. And when Jesus asked them something, they only thought about one thing: what will people think of us?

Not: what is true? Not: what does God want? Only: what will people say?

That is a sad way to live. Imagine you know the answer in class, but you keep your mouth shut because someone might laugh. Or imagine you know your friend is doing something wrong, but you say nothing, because then you would not belong anymore.

The important men did that with the biggest question of all: is Jesus sent by God? They knew. They felt it. And they said, "We don't know."

Jesus does not force them. He answers, "Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things." He does not chase after them. He lets them walk away with their empty answer.

The Common Thread

Just a few days before this, the people had shouted, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" They waved branches. They spread their coats on the road for a King on a young donkey.

That is the answer to the whole question. Who gave Jesus the right to clean out the temple? His Father did. Jesus is the King God promised long ago, riding into His own city, walking into His own house.

The important men could have seen it. Instead they whispered together and thought about their own good name. And a few days later they would hand Jesus over to die.

But even that God used. The King who rode in on a donkey went on to the cross, for people who whisper and are afraid, and for people who say "we don't know" when they really do know.

For You

Here is something small you can do this week. When someone asks you something, tell the truth, even when it is a little scary. If you broke something, say so. If you did something mean, say so.

And when you know something good about Jesus, do not hide it. You can tell one person, just one, that Jesus is your King. Your grandma. Your friend. Your little brother at bedtime.

That is braver than the men in the long robes ever were.

Talk About It

When did you last say something was true even though it was scary? What happened?

Why do you think the important men were more afraid of the people than of God?

Praying Together

Lord Jesus, You are the King who came riding in. Help me not to hide when I should speak. Make me honest, even when I am scared. Thank You that You still love me when I get it wrong. Amen.