Luke 20:1-8 — People Pleasing vs. Jesus Pleasing!

READ THIS: Luke 20:1-8

1 One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. 2 “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”

3 He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: 4 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

5 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”

7 So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.”

8 Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

In the Gospel stories, we can see a common struggle of the Pharisees trying their best to trick Jesus into saying something that will either prove He was wrong/not as smart as they were OR that Jesus was speaking heresy. They wanted Jesus to say He was God so they could have a reason to kill Him, mainly because they didn't realize that He actually was God! However, Jesus responds to them, almost every time, by asking them a question in return! In this case, the Pharisees and elders are trying to get Jesus to tell them who gave Him authority to speak, heal others, and save people from their sins, but Jesus asks them about a person they were very familiar with: John the Baptist. The Pharisees end up being stumped by Jesus's question, but not because of a lack of knowledge. 
 
Jesus is calling them out about a much deeper issue: the Pharisees were constantly worried about what others thought about them. They didn't want to be hated or hurt by people for their views, so they remained quiet. Meanwhile, Jesus was the complete opposite! He boldly taught, healed, and saved without worrying about being liked, cared for, or popular. At the end of it all, Jesus even died as He stood on what He believed, while the Pharisees likely lived long lives people pleasing. This should be a challenge for us... are we willing to stand on the authority given to us by Jesus, even if we end up hated, hurt, or alone?

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. Take a look at that last sentence again... are you?
 
2. What makes it hard to stand firm on Jesus in front of others? Why can we get so caught up in people pleasing, even when we know it is wrong?

TRY THIS:

Did you read yesterday's devo?! They are oddly similar!! Check it out HERE!


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