Questioning Authority

Have you ever questioned someone in authority.  If your answer is “No,” I think you’ve forgotten your childhood. Almost everyone, beginning around the age two, discovers they can say “No!” with quite enough emphasis as to catch their parent’s attention. Parents look upon that as being “cute,” for a little while.  Then it becomes a breach of their authority.

People in authority expect to be obeyed. This doesn’t change as we grow older, though the opportunities to question authority change. In some instances, questioning authority has changed very bad laws. In others, lives have been damaged or even lost.

For me, there is a book that contains God’s history, His commandments, His plans for the future and should be used to settle arguments instead of starting them.  The Bible is the source of reliable information on God’s interaction with mankind and is the authority of reference.

Jesus is often described as a rebel questioning authority. He is latched upon as an example for protestors who wish to change who is in authority.  Perhaps a reading of the Bible would change that attitude. For example:

Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. (Matthew 23:1-3 KJV)

“Do as I say, and not as I do.” How exasperated do we become when we see our children emulate our actions, not following the verbal instructions we’ve given them. That rolls over into business cultures, too. Each company has a set of rules and regulations. They may be called best practices or go by a number of names, but they exist to create levels of authority for employees to follow. Ignoring them has consequences.

Jesus saw woe for those who said, but did not do:

But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. (Matthew 23:13 KJV)

He gives eight woes, just as He gave eight beatitudes – perhaps we could see a balance there. Matthew Henry’s Commentary does, and he goes on to say:

The scribes and Pharisees were hypocrites; that is it in which all the rest of their bad characters are summed up; it was the leaven which gave the relish to all they said and did. A hypocrite is a stage-player in religion (that is the primary signification of the word); he personates or acts the part of one that he neither is nor may be …

Jesus’ words confirm this:

But all their works they do for to be seen of men: (Matthew 23:5b KJV)

Perhaps it works better when questioning authority we also listen to its answers. Be certain where the authority originates. Understand its foundation, the reliability and its source. Then consider Gamaliel’s recorded words:

But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. (Acts 5:39 KJV)