The Weight of Christ's Authority
It is so good to be with you this week. Welcome to Home Church, and welcome to The Well. We’re glad you’re hanging out with us. My name is Brad; I’m one of the elders and the lead pastor here. I just have to tell you, I am so thankful for our team. If you’re new to The Well, one of the nuances of who we are is that we have a teaching team. Last week, you got to hear Mike, who just threw down on a tremendous passage and did a great job walking through it.
We have been in the Gospel of Matthew for a long time now. If you have a Bible—and I hope you do, wherever you are sitting—crack open the book or pull it up on your device. Let’s turn to Matthew 21 and get to work.
The Weight of Authority
In pastoral ministry, as you can imagine, we deal with a lot of correspondence: emails, notes, words of encouragement, and our fair share of complaints. Years ago, I made a rule that I would not read a single complaint if it wasn’t signed. If you want to hate on me, sign it! If you have something to complain about, put your name on it. If you don’t sign it, I honestly don’t read it; I throw it right into the recycle bin. If a note isn’t signed, I have no idea who wrote it, which means I have no idea how to weigh the information coming in.
For example, if a complaint comes in from my wife, that carries immense weight in my life. By the way, in this whole shelter-in-place season, I’ve been getting a lot of those from her—I think she is ready for me to go back to the office! But when something comes from my wife, it has weight because she is my wife, and she is a vital part of my life. If a note comes in signed by one of our elders, that carries significant authority. But if I get a complaint from someone who doesn’t even attend our church and has never been part of our church family, I weigh it differently. That doesn’t mean I completely disregard it, but it doesn’t carry the same weight.
What we looked at last week, and what we are dealing with again this week, is a question of authority. What kind of weight do we put behind the words of Jesus? Who is He? Where did He come from? And by what authority does He do what He does?
The religious leaders were questioning Jesus’ authority, trying to figure out what category to put Him in: Who are you? Where did you come from? And how should we respond to you? In typical rabbinic fashion, Jesus didn’t just give a direct answer; He asked counter-questions to engage them in dialogue. Then He launched into the first of three parables: the parable of the two sons (which we covered last week), the parable of the landowner, and the parable of the wedding feast.
Parables and the Uncovering of Truth
If you’ve been on this journey with us through Matthew, we first encountered parables back in Matthew 13. The word parable comes from two Greek words: ballo, meaning “to throw,” and para, meaning “alongside.” A parable is a truth thrown alongside everyday life—a short story with a deeper symbolic meaning.
Throughout Matthew’s Gospel, these parables generally have three elements: a familiar piece (something everyone nods along with), an unfamiliar spiritual reality that the familiar story helps illustrate, and finally, the shock. The shock is the dagger, the friction point that catches the listener off guard.
Why did Jesus speak in parables? He did so to communicate biblical truths that required digging beneath the surface. He forced His original listeners, and now forces us as readers, to look underneath. The unifying theme of these three parables is consistent: those who thought they were insiders (the religious establishment) were actually out, and those who were considered outsiders (the irreligious and broken) were brought in.
Last week, we saw the parable of the two sons. The first son initially rejected his father’s authority, but later regretted his decision, repented, and obeyed. That represents the irreligious who discover the true authority of Jesus and realign their lives under it. The second son gave lip service, saying, “Yeah, sure, I’ll go,” but never actually obeyed. That represents the religious crowd who thought they had God figured out, yet rejected His authority in practice.
Matthew 21:28-30 (NASB)
’But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ ’And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. ’The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I [will], sir’; but he did not go.
A proper view of God’s authority should always stir us to repentance. That’s why Jesus dropped that stinging rebuke on the religious leaders, telling them that tax collectors and prostitutes were entering the kingdom of God ahead of them.
Matthew 21:31 (NASB)
‘Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ’Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you.
The Parable of the Vine Growers
Starting in verse 33, Jesus continues what is essentially a sustained prophetic confrontation. Look at what He says:
“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, rented it out to vine-growers, and went on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce. The vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Again, he sent another group of slaves larger than the first; and they did the same thing to them. But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ They took him, and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?”
Matthew 21:33-40 (NASB)
’Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who PLANTED A VINEYARD AND PUT A WALL AROUND IT AND DUG A WINE PRESS IN IT, AND BUILT A TOWER, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey. ’When the harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce. ’The vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third. ’Again he sent another group of slaves larger than the first; and they did the same thing to them. ’But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ’But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ ’They took him, and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. ‘Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?’
Notice that word in verse 40: owner. In Greek, it is kyrios, translated as master, owner, or Lord. Inherent in that title is absolute authority. So Jesus asks, “When the one in authority comes, what will He do to those growers?”
The religious leaders answer Him in verse 41: “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.” They understood worldly justice and property rights, but they failed to realize they had just pronounced judgment on themselves.
Matthew 21:41 (NASB)
They said to Him, ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the [proper] seasons.’
The Rejected Chief Cornerstone
Then Jesus delivers the shock:
“Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief corner stone; this came about from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing the fruit of it.”
Matthew 21:42-43 (NASB)
Jesus said to them, ’Did you never read in the Scriptures, ’THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER [stone]; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES ’? ’Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it.
Jesus asks them, “Have you never read your Scriptures?” He is quoting directly from Psalm 118.
Psalms 118:22-23 (NASB)
The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner [stone]. This is the LORD’S doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.
He tells them plainly that God’s kingdom will be taken from those who merely acted religious and given to those who actually produce kingdom fruit. Then He adds verse 44: “And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”
Matthew 21:44 (NASB)
‘And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.’
You can stumble over Christ, or His judgment can fall upon you, but either way, Jesus is the Cornerstone. He is the ultimate authority. In ancient architecture, the cornerstone was the essential foundation piece of the entire building. Civic leaders would often carve their names into it as a mark of authority. Jesus is that cornerstone—the foundation of ultimate value and weight.
When the chief priests and Pharisees heard this, they finally realized He was talking about them. They wanted to arrest Him on the spot, but they held back out of fear of the crowds, who regarded Him as a prophet.
Matthew 21:45-46 (NASB)
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. When they sought to seize Him, they feared the people, because they considered Him to be a prophet.
The Parable of the Wedding Feast
Jesus immediately follows this with the parable of the marriage feast in chapter 22 to emphasize the weight of His authority even further:
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’ But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.“
Matthew 22:1-6 (NASB)
Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, ’The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. ’And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. ’Again he sent out other slaves saying, ’Tell those who have been invited, ‘Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are [all] butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.’’ ’But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.
Throughout the Old Testament, God sent prophets and messengers to invite His people to honor His Son, but they disregarded and mistreated those messengers.
In verse 7, the king is enraged. He sends his army, destroys those murderers, and sets their city on fire. Then he tells his servants, “The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.” The servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find—both evil and good—and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
Matthew 22:7-10 (NASB)
’But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. ’Then he said to his slaves, ’The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. ‘Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find [there], invite to the wedding feast.’ ’Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.
In Luke 14, in a similar account, the master tells the servants to go out to the highways and along the hedges and compel them to come in, so that his house may be filled.
Luke 14:23 (NASB)
’And the master said to the slave, ’Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel [them] to come in, so that my house may be filled.
Look at the heart of the Father here: when those who assumed they had an exclusive invitation disregard it, the King extends the invitation to the back alleys, the broken, the forlorn, the discarded, and the lost. He brings them in to feast at His table.
Clothed by the King
However, there are no wedding crashers at this feast. You cannot enter on your own terms.
When the king comes in to look over the guests, he spots a man who is not wearing wedding clothes. He asks him, “Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?” And the text says the man was speechless.
Matthew 22:11-12 (NASB)
’But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless.
The Greek word used there means to be muzzled, to have nothing to say. He was caught red-handed. Have you ever done something foolish, gotten completely busted, and had zero defense? That is this man. He stands before the ultimate authority with no excuse. The King provided the garments of grace, yet this man tried to sneak in through his own self-effort.
The king tells his servants to bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 22:13 (NASB)
’Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Whenever Scripture uses this phrase, it refers to the righteous judgment that comes upon those who reject the King’s authority. Weeping points to sorrow, grief, and emotional agony; gnashing of teeth points to deep torment and distress.
The doctrine of eternal judgment is one of the hardest teachings in the Bible. As much as our human sensibilities might want to soften it or lean toward an idea where life simply fades to black, Scripture clearly teaches that rejecting the authority of Jesus Christ carries eternal consequences.
People often object and say, “That doesn’t seem fair; I don’t like that.” But by what authority do we make that claim? Who are we to question the Creator of the heavens and the earth? Can the clay say to the potter, “Why did you make me like this?” In these moments, we are confronted with the holiness, majesty, and absolute authority of God. God is the supreme authority in our lives. Whether we acknowledge it or not, Jesus is the Cornerstone. You can yield to Him in grace, or you will stumble over Him in judgment.
The Broad Call and the Chosen Few
Yet right alongside this sobering reality stands an incredible invitation of grace. Look at verse 14:
“For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Matthew 22:14 (NASB)
‘For many are called, but few [are] chosen.’
The call of the Gospel goes out universally to all. Salvation is offered to every tribe, tongue, and nation—to anyone who will acknowledge the authority of Jesus Christ, repent of their sin, and receive His righteousness.
The Gospel of John tells us this clearly:
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
John 1:12-13 (NASB)
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, [even] to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Salvation is open to all who hear the call and place their faith in Him.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
John 3:16-18 (NASB)
’For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. ’For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. ’He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
While the call goes out widely, Jesus makes it clear that the means of salvation is singular. It is through Him alone.
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’”
John 14:6 (NASB)
Jesus said to him, ’I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
That statement sounds breathtakingly exclusive unless it is true. If Jesus really is the Son of God, if He really went to the cross for our sins, if He really walked out of the grave, ascended to the Father, and is returning again as King of kings, then His words carry absolute authority.
“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12 (NASB)
‘And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.’
When we submit to His authority, our sins are placed on Him, and we are clothed in His righteousness. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans tells us what we are like on our own:
“There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God.”
Romans 3:10-11 (NASB)
as it is written, ’THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
Left to ourselves, we do not naturally seek God; we seek our own authority. So if your heart is stirring right now, if there is a curiosity about Jesus, if you feel a longing to know Him, recognize that this desire is not coming from you. That is the grace of God drawing you to Himself.
Weighing the Words of Jesus
When the religious leaders asked Jesus, “By what authority do you do these things?” He answered them with these parables to reveal that He is the ultimate authority. Everything He says and calls us into carries divine weight.
So let me ask you: who is Jesus in your life? What weight do you give to His words? When Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” how do you treat that message? Do you toss it aside like an unsigned piece of junk mail? If so, you are walking away from the very invitation of eternal life.
Or do you take Him at His word, acknowledging that because He is God incarnate, His word carries supreme authority over your life?
As we navigate the uncertainties of our present circumstances—sheltering in place, social distancing, and everything else going on around us—we can rest securely when our view of Jesus is right. If Jesus carries the weight He deserves in our hearts, we don’t have to live in fear. He is good, He is sovereign, and His grace is sufficient.
If you have never surrendered to the authority of Jesus Christ, what are you waiting for? The invitation has been extended. Will you receive Him today?
Let’s pray together.
Father, we thank You that You are the ultimate authority and that there is none like You. We thank You, Jesus, that You took our place on the cross, conquered the grave, and overcame sin, death, and Satan. You possess all authority in heaven and on earth. We thank You for Your lavish grace that reaches out to the highways and hedges, inviting the broken and the outcast into Your presence. Help us to weigh Your words with the honor and reverence they deserve. May we live fully surrendered to Your lordship. In Jesus’ name, Amen.