Ever found yourself asking, “Who’s really in charge here?” Maybe it was during a snowstorm that disrupted your plans, or perhaps during a season when life felt completely out of control. That question—who’s in charge?—isn’t just about weather or circumstances. It’s the deepest question we face about our lives.
The Authority Question We All Avoid
In Luke 20, religious leaders confronted Jesus with a pointed challenge: “By what authority do you do these things?” They weren’t genuinely curious—they were threatened. Jesus didn’t fit their boxes or follow their rules, yet He spoke with undeniable power.
Here’s what’s fascinating: these leaders didn’t deny Jesus’ miracles or His impact. They questioned whether He had the right to do what He was doing. Sound familiar? We often do the same thing. We acknowledge God’s power but resist His authority over our daily decisions, relationships, and futures.
Jesus responded brilliantly, turning their trap back on them by asking about John the Baptist’s authority. The leaders couldn’t answer without condemning themselves, so they chose what many of us choose: spiritual avoidance disguised as neutrality.
But here’s the truth: people don’t reject Jesus because they lack information. They reject Him because they fear where obedience might lead.
The Parable That Hits Close to Home
Jesus then told a story about vineyard tenants who rejected the owner’s servants—and eventually killed his son to steal the inheritance. The religious leaders eventually realized Jesus was talking about them. They were the tenants refusing to honor God’s authority, rejecting prophet after prophet, and soon they would reject God’s own Son.
The warning is sobering: “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces.” We’re either broken before Jesus in repentance or broken by Him in judgment. Neutrality isn’t an option. As C.S. Lewis famously said, you can reject Him as a fool, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord—but you cannot simply ignore Him.
Give to God What Belongs to God
When the leaders tried another trap—asking if Jews should pay taxes to Caesar—Jesus gave His most piercing response yet. He asked for a coin and said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
The coin bore Caesar’s image, so it belonged to Caesar. But you bear God’s image (Genesis 1:27). Your life belongs to God. Your body, your obedience, your worship, your future—all of it belongs to Him.
Real life with Jesus isn’t about partial surrender. It’s about total allegiance.
Your Next Step: Choose Your Authority
So who really owns your life? Not who influences you or who you admire, but who has your deepest allegiance? The rejected stone has become the cornerstone of our faith. The only question left is whether your life will be built on Him or whether you’ll stumble over Him.
If you’re reading this today—maybe snowed in, maybe searching for answers—this is your moment. Bow your head and surrender. Say, “God, I give You my life. Make You my all.”
Prayer: Father, help us stop avoiding the authority question. We confess that we often want You as a consultant but resist You as Lord. Today, we choose total surrender. You are in control—not circumstances, not our plans, not our fears. We give You what already belongs to You: our whole lives. Build us on the cornerstone of Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
