By What Authority Doest Thou These Things?

"And ...[Yahushua] went into the temple of ...[Yahuwah], and cast out all them that bought and sold in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves." Matthew 21:12.
...[Yahushua] drove the dishonest traffickers from the temple courts with heaven's authority flashing from his face. His voice spoke to the conscience and soul with the power of ...[Yahuwah]. "Take these things hence," he said; "it is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." Matthew 21:13.
As priests and rulers looked upon the face of ...[Yahushua], terror took possession of them; for divinity was flashing through humanity. This was evidence that they had not looked for. They understood the meaning of his words, and, amazed and terrified, they fled from the humble, travel-stained Nazarene, as if he had been surrounded by an avenging army of heavenly beings. But as they hurried away from the sacred precincts, they found that they had received no bodily harm, and their terror-stricken souls began to recover. They said, We will return to the temple, and demand by what authority he is doing this work. But when they saw the work that ...[Yahushua] had been doing since their expulsion, they did not confront him with the assurance that they thought they would. They found the Saviour healing the sick and the dying. "The blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them." Matthew 21:14. On their ears fell the sound of rejoicing and the song of praise. In the very temple itself, children who had been restored to health were waving palm branches, and singing hosannas to the Son of David. Baby voices were lisping the praises of the mighty Healer. The people were rejoicing; for those among them who had been sick and dying were now restored to perfect health. But the lowing of the cattle and the bleating of the sheep were as music in the ears of the priests when compared with these sounds of rejoicing. Cattle sales meant money to them. But the gladness and joy of the people who had been restored gave them no satisfaction.
"Hearest thou what these say?" they asked ...[Yahushua]; and he answered, "Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?" Matthew 21:16.
The scene at the temple was indelibly impressed upon the minds of the people who had come to attend the feast. What greater evidence than this could ...[Yahushua] give? If this could find no entrance into the hearts of these resisters of light; if such a scene as this did not bring conviction; if this light was not sufficient to drive away their prejudice and jealousy, what evidence could ...[Yahushua] give to pierce their rock-bound hearts?--Nothing that he could say or do would move their stubborn wills.
The night before his work of cleansing the temple courts and healing the sick, ...[Yahushua] had spent in prayer in the mount of Olives. "In the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward forever. And presently the fig tree withered away." Matthew 21:18,19. The next morning, on his way again to Jerusalem, he passed the withered fig tree. "And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away. ...[Yahushua] answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done." Matthew 21:20.
The fig tree was covered with promising, pretentious leaves, but was entirely destitute of fruit. It represented impenitent Israel, who had failed to do the work of ...[Yahuwah]'s appointment. And not only does this lesson apply to the Jews, but in its terrible significance it reaches to every age, warning each soul of the sure result of profession without practice. Let professing ...[Yahushuaians] inquire into the meaning of the curse pronounced upon the fig tree. The tree was full of promise, but investigation revealed its barrenness. It bore no fruit; and because of this defect, words were spoken that caused it almost immediately to wither away.
A fig tree is created to bear fruit; and if it does not do this, it is not fit for a place in the orchard. It is treated as a cumberer of the ground. So the ...[Master] created men and women to bear fruit to his glory and for the good of their fellow creatures, and he has provided them with every facility necessary to enable them to do this. By creation and by redemption we are ...[Yahuwah]'s. ...[Yahushua] came as our substitute and surety, that we might bear fruit for him. A probation has been granted us that we might not be like the fig tree, full of flourishing leaves, making great pretensions of success, yet destitute of good works.
After this ...[Yahushua] again entered the temple; and as he was teaching, the chief priests and elders of the people came to him with the question, "By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?" Matthew 21:23. They had been given unmistakable evidence of ...[Yahushua's]power. Amazed and terrified, they had fled from his presence, returning to find him healing the sick and the suffering, who were rejoicing, not only in the courts, but in the temple itself. And yet after passing through this wonderful experience, the Jewish rulers could ask ...[Yahushua], "By what authority doest thou these things?"
...[Yahushua] answered them by asking a question. "I also will ask you one thing," he said, "which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men?" Matthew 21:25.
The priests and rulers were perplexed. "They reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered ...[Yahushua], and said, We can not tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things." Matthew 21:26.
In his wonderful deeds of healing, ...[Yahushua] had answered the question of the priests and elders. He had given them evidence of his authority, which could not be controverted. But it was not evidence that they wished. They were anxious that he should proclaim himself as possessing divine authority, that they might misapply his words, and stir up the people against him. They wished to destroy his influence and put him to death. ...[Yahushua] knew that if this people could not recognize ...[Yahuwah] in him, they would not believe his assurance that he was ...[Anointed]. They had seen the sick healed, and the dead raised to life. They had witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus after he had been in the grave four days. The moral supremacy of ...[Yahushua] was revealed in all his words, in every work of love and power, but they recognized it not. They thought to take him by guile, and cause him to speak something that they could use to his condemnation. But ...[Yahushua] not only evades the issue they hope to bring about, but turns the condemnation upon them. In the purity and self-denial of John's life, they had felt the power of ...[Yahuwah]. Conviction had been sent to every soul. If they would not heed John's warning, they would not heed the words of ...[Yahushua].
John had preached the coming of the Messiah. In trumpet tones the words of the forerunner of ...[Yahushua] had rung in their ears: "There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the ...[Master] shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the ...[Master]; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the ...[Master]: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears; but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins." Isaiah 11:1-5. "He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompense. So shall they fear the name of the ...[Master] from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the ...[Master] shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the ...[Master]." Isaiah 59:16-20.
John came bearing witness of the One whose divinity they were now questioning. ...[Yahushua] himself had gone to the Jordan, not to repent of sin, but to fulfill every specification required of the sinner. The Baptist saw the Saviour walking at a distance, and his face lighted up. "Behold the Lamb of ...[Yahuwah]," he cried, "which taketh away the sin of the world." There ...[Yahushua] stood revealed before the people. The glory of ...[Yahuwah] descended upon him in the form of a dove like burnished gold, and the voice of the infinite One declared, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:17.
...[Yahushua] reminded the priests and Pharisees of this recognition by ...[Yahuwah] of John's message and work. If you believe John to be a prophet, he said, why do you not believe my testimony? He told you plainly who I am. You have refused to do the work ...[Yahuwah] appointed you in revealing ...[Yahushua] to an apostate world. You refuse to believe in the Son of ...[Yahuwah]. You now ask me for my authority for cleansing the temple courts, which you have defiled. You profess to be anxious to know ...[Yahuwah's] will, but you reject the evidence given in such abundance.
If the rejecters of light in ...[Yahushua's] day had opened their hearts to the appeals of the Spirit of ...[Yahuwah], they would have sympathized with the purpose and work of ...[Yahushua]. They would have seen in him the antitype of all their sacrificial offerings. They would have been saved from the terrible doom pronounced upon them by the One who gave his life that they might live. Israel would have had a ...[Yahuwah] to deliver them from the bondage of the Roman yoke,--a ...[Yahuwah] who would have done more for them than a loving father could do for his child. ...[Yahushua] wept over the obdurate city, saying, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." Matthew 23:37.
We have before us the example of the Jewish nation, who jealously cherished their self-righteousness. They had not that faith which works by love, and purifies the soul from all defilement. Let those who hear the message ...[Yahuwah] sends today beware lest they follow the example of the self-exalted Jews. ...[Yahuwah] does not propose to remove from our path everything that will create question in regard to the work of his servants. He gives ground for faith sufficient to convince the candid, sincere mind; but more evidence than this