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The Line of Promise (Advent #1) (King’s Cross Church)

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INTRODUCTION

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, it is encouraging to look backwards and see the faithfulness of God over so many generations leading up to the birth of Christ. It is that same covenant faithfulness that is promised to everyone in Christ. God still promises to be our God and the God of our children after us, until the earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

The Text: “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham…” (Mt. 1:1-17).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

When Matthew begins with the “book of the generation” (Mt. 1:1), this is a call back to one of the organizing structures of Genesis: “This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him…” (Gen. 5:1, cf. 2:4, 6:9, 10:1, etc.). The genealogies in Genesis 5 and Genesis 10-11 each record 10 generations: Adam to Noah and Shem to Abram, covering a little over 2000 years, tracing the promise of the “seed of the woman” (Gen. 3:15).

Matthew picks up his genealogy at Abraham and the patriarchs (Mt. 1:2), but he highlights some of the surprises, beginning with the twins born to Tamar by her father in-law Judah (Mt. 1:3). Five generations later, Salmon begot Boaz by marrying the Canaanite prostitute Rahab from Jericho, and of course Boaz married Ruth the Moabitess, a cursed people (Mt. 1:4-5, Dt. 23:3). Boaz was the great-grandfather of King David, who begot Solomon by Bathsheba, who had been the wife of one David’s mighty men, Uriah the Hittite, murdered by David’s command (Mt. 1:6-7, 2 Sam. 23:39). There were fourteen generations of kings from David to Jeconiah, when Judah was conquered and carried into exile in Babylon (Mt. 1:7-11, 1:17). And there were another fourteen generations from Jeconiah to Jesus Christ, born of the virgin Mary, the wife of Joseph (Mt. 1:12-16, cf. 1:17).

A MOTLEY CREW

Perhaps the first thing that stands out is how motley the line of promise is: incest, prostitution, intermarriage with a cursed nation, adultery, murder, slavery, homelessness, and pregnancy out of wedlock are all right on the surface. And that in turn implies all the other “normal” sins and failures of these descendants of Adam. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and this family tree is no different (Rom. 3:23).

But this is the line of promise, the line of the King. What a way to begin the gospel of the King. And so what it actually highlights is the mind-blowing grace of God. Athanasius says that when a great King enters a city it honors the whole city, and when God took on human flesh, He honored our pitiful race.

Notice also that while God works through a family line, there is nothing “pure” about it. As the New Testament labors to demonstrate, the line of promise is by faith not by flesh: “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith” (Rom. 4:13). It was not through the law, in the sense that it was not by families perfectly keeping the law or achieving greatness by human striving. Ishmael was a picture of human striving, but Isaac was the son of promise (Gal. 4:23, 28). Natural sons or not, the power is in the promise of God, not our family name or bloodline or accomplishments. And the motley nature of the line underlines this point.

You wouldn’t plan the salvation of the world with this family tree, but God did because of His grace.

AND YOU ARE HEIRS

But the other point of these genealogies is to underline God’s love for His people. When you read the genealogies, don’t just think “weird names I can’t pronounce.” Think people, families, children, stories that God loves and has promised to never forget. We carve the names of our loved ones on stone to signify that they were and are beloved and worth remembering, but even the greatest men will be forgotten like Ozymandias in the sands of time. But we serve the God who has sworn to never forget His people. He ordered the names of Israel engraved on precious stones on the breastplate of the High Priest (Ex. 28:9-12, 21). And He has written the names of all of His people in the Lamb’s Book of Life (e.g. Phil. 4:3, Rev. 3:5); they are even engraved on the palms of His hands (Is. 49:16).

He first made that promise in a Garden six thousand years ago to a heartbroken couple who had thrown all of God’s grace away. And that promise was kept to Abraham and his descendants over thousands of years, all the way down to a young virgin named Mary. But the promise was that the curse of sin and death would be completely undone, reversed, and healed. This is why we sing: “He comes to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is found.” God promised Abraham that through him, all the families of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:3). God did not send His own Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him the world might be saved (Jn. 3:17). All those who trust in Christ are sons and heirs of God: “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:29)

CONCLUSION

Honor your people, beginning with your own parents. If God can use this family tree to save the world, He can use your family tree. Abortion? Adultery? Abuse? Apostacy? Welcome to planet earth, and welcome to the family of Adam.

God created the natural family, and there is something good and glorious about it – even with the curse of sin, there are cathedral ruins that can be remembered and honored. And wherever Christ has come, the rebuilding and healing can begin.

And as you celebrate, remember that you are celebrating the birth of the King into your family, which it turns out is more like your family being reborn into the family of the King. By faith in Jesus Christ, you have been grafted into the line of promise. You are Abraham’s children. This family tree is now your family tree. Jesus Christ is the tree, and all who believe are fruitful branches in Him because He knows them all by name.

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Gratitude and Culture War (King’s Cross Church)

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INTRODUCTION

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, it’s worth considering how gratitude is at the center of the great war against evil and the particular battles we face in our day. The basic divide that runs through the center of the human race throughout human history is gratitude versus spite. The unrighteous are those who know God clearly revealed in Creation but refuse to glorify Him as God or be thankful, and those foolish hearts are darkened and make idols and are given over to uncleanness (Rom. 1:21-24).

THE TEXT

“For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Cor. 4:7)

THE SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The wisdom of this world is carnal and is marked by envy, strife, divisions, and rivalry (1 Cor. 3:3-4, cf. Js. 3:14-15). And the root of it all is a wicked pride in man. Like arrogant toddlers waddling around in Huggies, people can get puffed up about almost anything, and they do. But the wisdom of God is primarily marked by gratitude since in Christ all things are yours (1 Cor. 3:21), the Lord will judge and make manifest all the counsels of all the hearts (1 Cor. 4:5), and all that we have is from the Lord (1 Cor. 4:7). Who gave you everything that distinguishes you from anyone else? God. What do you have that wasn’t a gift? Nothing. Why do you strut like you had something to do with it?

HE MADE US

“Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name” (Ps. 100:3-4). In Him, we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). Christ is before all things and in Him all things consist (Col. 1:17). All things were not only created by His Word, but all things are held together constantly by His Word (Heb. 1:2-3).

All of this magnifies His kindness and mercy: upholding wicked men, giving life and health and good things to sinners, and then making us alive together in Christ, forgiving our sins, and granting us an inheritance that will never fade. Whatever our duties toward our families, our churches, and our nation, it is all grounded in this thanksgiving and praise and humility. Everything is a gift. And while we must stand against all evil, we must learn to do so with a grin on our face because our Father plays with dragons (Job 41).

NO GRIEVANCE FARMING

Despite all this grace, it is still the temptation of sinners to complain, murmur, and nurse grudges, which are all ultimately directed at God Himself. When Israel murmured about the lack of food and water, they were rebelling against God (Ex. 17:7, Num. 14:22, 1 Cor. 10:10).

In the name of “justice,” sinners plant resentment, spite, and wrath, and expect to reap a harvest of righteousness. But Scripture is clear: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (Js. 1:19-20). You can’t build a healthy family, community, business, or nation with wrath welling up in your chest. That is the fuel of the enemy.

Righteous, godly anger is very slow and deliberate: it took God hundreds of years to finally destroy Israel and Judah. But many disciples would call fire down on clueless Samaritans and the animals of Nineveh. Godly anger is like the Ents that hold counsel to determine whether to become angry and go to war. Godly anger is surgical, precise, and altogether holy and productive.

NO MARXISM

Marxism is the modern cult religion of class envy. It imagines that peace and prosperity will magically appear in the aftermath of violent revolution, when the oppressed victims overthrow their oppressors. This was initially pitched in economic terms (working class vs. business owners), but it was repackaged in the last 75 years to include sex, race, and then sexual perversions. But the engine that drives it all is spite and resentment for the way God made the world. There are real injustices that get weaponized, but since the “problem” is God and His world, this so-called “social justice” plays fast and loose with the truth, designating classes of people in unbiblical categories.

God created the world hierarchically and diverse. And He created a world where virtue and hard work are generally rewarded, and sin has created thorns, weeds, pain, enmity, and death. The problem is not power, wealth, sex, or skin color. The problem is sin infecting those things, and sinners are tempted to rage and hate, fixating on those things. And the Devil loves it so because he can keep people locked in cages of resentment and false victimhood.

CONCLUSION

So be thankful for your grandma, the turkey, pumpkin pie, how tall or short you are, the color of your skin, and rejoice before the Lord. No guilt for any of His gifts and love your people they way you have been loved in Christ. But no throwing elbows; no wrath in your chest.

We want true gratitude without any whining, true thanksgiving without any spite, true grace without any rivalry.

There is a marked difference between gratitude that simply sees the gifts and bows the head in gratitude on the one hand, and the faux-gratitude that flexes in front of a mirror, while stealing sidelong glances down the table.

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The Word that Grows (Acts of the Apostles #14)

Lindsey Gardner on

INTRODUCTION

We see in this passage the formation of the Christian diaconate. The noun for deacon is not used here, but the context makes it pretty obvious. There was a daily distribution of food to widows and some inequities in that distribution were causing problems. The Twelve said that they should not leave the diakonia of the Word (v. 4) in order to diakoneo tables (v. 2). The noun form is the word for deacon (diakonos). And what we can learn from this is the evangelistic potency of good church government. 

THE TEXT

“And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.” (Acts 6:1–7). 

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Notice that we are in the sixth chapter, and the church is still exploding. The number of disciples was multiplying (v. 1). In this context, it is not surprising that some friction developed—a murmuring of the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution (v. 1). The Twelve summoned the congregation and said that they should not be distracted by this particular task of service (diakoneo), however worthy it might be (v. 2). So the Twelve told the brothers to select seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, and they would appoint them to it (v. 3). The Twelve would remain at their post—prayer and the ministry (diakonia) of the Word (v. 4). The congregation was pleased with this, and they chose Stephen, full of faith and the Spirit, along with six others—Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch (v. 5). All seven men have Greek names. These men were set before the apostles, who then prayed and laid hands on them (v. 6). This resulted in more growth that is described in three ways—the Word increased (v. 7), the number of Christians in Jerusalem increased (v. 7), and a large number of priests came to obey the faith (v. 7).    

GROWTH PAINS

It is not possible for a body to grow the way the early church did without creating stresses and strains. Remember that we have noted that a number of pilgrims at the day of Pentecost had stayed over. This is our textual indication that a number of them were still there. The KJV renders one of the groups as Grecians, but this is not referring to Gentile Greeks. Rather, it is referring to Hellenized Jews from the Dispersion. The Hebraic Jews were the hometown Jews. And the seven men selected were all in a position to guard the interests of those who had been neglected. 

The growth of the church was not hindered because of the mere fact of a dispute. The dispute was actually the result of the church growing, the dispute was resolved in an honorable way, and the result of this good governance was that the church grew even more. Honest dealing with internal church affairs is honoring to God and attractive to outsiders.

Notice the pattern (that we seek to follow), which is to have qualifications for office established by the existing leadership, to have the men of the congregation elect them, and then to have the existing leadership ordain them, setting them apart.    

MALE LEADERSHIP

It is worth pointing out that all twelve apostles were men. They told the congregation to pick out seven Spirit-filled men. And when the apostles addressed the congregation, they said, “Wherefore, brethren . . .” Now remember that the church is the bride of Christ, which means that collectively, we are feminine. As the bride of Christ, we are to be submissive to Him, which means that the rule of the church is to be limited to men (1 Tim. 2:12). 

Someone may well ask about Phoebe, who was a servant of the church at Cenchrea (Rom. 16:1). But this was not a woman on the board of deacons, but was rather a different serving office (1 Tim. 3:11).

GROWTH IS GOOD, BUT…

We have been reminded many times in the book of Acts thus far that the church in Jerusalem was growing and expanding. Three thousand were added the very first day (Acts 2:41). More were added every day (Acts 2:47). A short time later the number of men was around five thousand (Acts 4:4). The Christians were held in awe (Acts 5:13), but continued to grow anyway—“multitudes” were added (Acts 5:14). Our passage begins with the note that the number of believers was multiplied (Acts 6:1), and concludes on a similar note (Acts 6:7).

Luke does in fact point to numerical growth as a sign of God’s blessing, as a sign of God’s authentication. But it is not an automatic indicator. Morning glory grows. Cancer grows. As Luke records the testimony of Gamaliel, the revolt of Theudas enjoyed some flash-in-the-pan growth, but then collapsed (Acts 5:36). The same thing happened to Judas of Galilee (Acts 5:37). Growth in isolation does not signify. 

So we should conclude with the understanding that it is the growth of the Word that fundamentally matters (Acts 6:7). The Word of God increased. What is the Bible doing in all of this? Obviously, the Scriptures themselves do not grow—this is a way of saying that the influence of the Word in the lives of the people is growing. This means qualitative growth, and not just numerical growth. For example, thanks to the Bible Reading Challenge many of you have read the Bible through more times in the last several years than you did in your entire life before. That is what we are talking about. And the size of our many congregations is directly related to that.

And so what is the center of the Word that must grow and increase at the center of our lives? It is the grace of God in Christ. It is Christ crucified for sinners. It is Christ raised for our justification. It is Christ over all, now and forever.    

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The Honor of Dishonor, the Grace of Disgrace (Acts of the Apostles #13)

Lindsey Gardner on

INTRODUCTION

One of the more remarkable blessings that the presence of the Holy Spirit brings is the ability He gives to believes to suffer scorn gladly. This is a remarkable thing in the moment, but it also serves as a portent of what it is to come. It is a statement in the present and a sign for the future.

 

THE TEXT

“And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men . . . (Acts 5:27–42).

 

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

So the apostles were gathered up, set before the council, and the high priest spoke (v. 27). Didn’t we command you not to do this (v. 28)? But you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine (v. 28), and this doctrine includes the bloodguilt of Jerusalem’s rulers (v. 28). Peter and the other apostles replied with the great principle that obedience to God trumps obedience to man (v. 29). The God of our fathers vindicated Christ by raising Him from the grave, but the reason He was in the grave was because you murdered Him and hanged Him on a tree (v. 30). God raised Him exalted to be a prince and savior, to grant repentance and forgiveness to Israel (v. 31). The apostles are witnesses, and the Holy Spirit is a witness (v. 32). He is given to those who obey (v. 32). Hearing this, they were cut to the heart, convicted, and answered the charge of murder by taking murderous counsel (v. 33). Gamaliel, Paul’s former instructor, a famous rabbi, intervened and had them go into executive session (v. 34). Gamaliel kept his head and urged them all to keep theirs (v. 35). Remember Theudas, who thought he was something (v. 36)? Remember Judas of Galilee, and what happened to him (v. 37)? Gamaliel urged them to leave these men alone—if their cause is of men, it will come to nothing (v. 38). But if it is of God, you don’t want to be found fighting Him (v. 39). And so they consented, and brought the apostles back in. They had them beaten and reissued their (plainly empty) command (v. 40). And so the apostles left the council, rejoicing in the honor of being dishonored, the grace of being disgraced (v. 41). And the threats from the authorities didn’t even slow them down. They continued to teach and preach Jesus Christ, both in the Temple and in every house (v. 42).

 

WHERE THE SHAME BELONGS

When we are treated shamefully for the sake of the gospel, we are instructed, very directly, not to be ashamed of the shame we are accorded.

“Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf” (1 Peter 4:16). “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26).

The shame rightly belongs to the persecutors. As William Gurnall stated, “Paul does not blush to tell, it is for the gospel he is in bonds. The shame belonged to them that put on the chain, not to him that wore it.”

When the proto-Reformed Jan Huss was given a safe conduct to the Council of Constance, he was double-crossed by the Emperor Sigismund and there executed. When Huss reproached the emperor, the ruler visibly blushed at his lack of good faith. When Luther was given a similar safe conduct at the Diet of Worms (1521), the Emperor Charles V was urged to do the same thing, and he said, “I shall not blush as Sigismund did at Constance.”

We are to live in such a way as that our slanderers are forced to glorify God in the day of visitation (1 Pet. 2:12).

 

GRACE IN THE FURNACE

The Lord Jesus gave us explicit instructions in this regard.

“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:10–12).

We are sometimes taunted by mockers, as though we think we are persecuted simply because someone differs with us. No, but Jesus here includes being reviled as an aspect of persecution, not to mention the fact that people say “all manner of evil” concerning us. This is a nightmare for PR consultants, but Jesus tells us to maintain a different attitude toward it all.

“But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified” (1 Peter 4:13–14).

 

JOY AS HARBINGER OF WRATH 

This glorious and gracious demeanor is a sign of three things. It is a sign that God is with us in the present, sustaining us. It is a sign that the mojo has entirely shifted. The persecutors are always trying to hang onto a vanishing world, and the persecuted represent the future. And last, this grace is a sign that the God who is with us in this moment will also be with us in the day of wrath. And so what will become of those who are against us in this moment?

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The Unchained Word of Life (Acts of the Apostles #12)

Lindsey Gardner on

INTRODUCTION

The Founder of the Christian faith, the Lord Jesus, was murdered by the authorities. This is a fact that cannot be emphasized too much. After He ascended into Heaven, the second generation of Christian leaders all found themselves in jail within a matter of just a few weeks. This should tell you something about the nature of the faith we profess.

 

THE TEXT

“Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life . . .” (Acts 5:17–26).

 

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The Sadducees were the dominant party in the Temple establishment. They were theological liberals, but conservative enough when it came to protecting their own power. They rose up together, full of indignation (v. 17), arrested the apostles and threw them into jail (v. 18). This set the stage for the first angelic jail break in the book of Acts. The angel opened the doors, brought them out, and gave a command (v. 19). The command was for them to go back into the Temple and by speaking the words of life to the people to disobey the authorities (v. 20). The apostles obeyed this command, doing this first thing in the morning (v. 21). Meanwhile, the authorities convened their council, and sent to have the apostles fetched from the prison (v. 21). The officers went to the prison, but soon enough came back without them (v. 22). They reported that the prison was locked up, and the guards were there, but nobody was inside (v. 23). When the authorities heard this, they began to worry about what could be next (v. 24). So then a messenger came in and said that the escapees were in the Temple, teaching the people (v. 25). And so then the captain and the officers went to bring them in, but gingerly, because they were afraid of being stoned by the crowd (v. 26).

 

DEALING WITH JESUS MOBS

We do have something in common with first century Palestine. We, like they, are living in a time of violent emotions and high tension. And in that moment, in a time like that, Jesus came into the powder keg of Jerusalem, and did not call for dialog. He came as a supremely effective provocateur. He went up to the Temple, and began flipping over tables.

Were there people in the Israel of that day who were on the side of John the Baptist, and Jesus, but who did not fully grasp the import of the Sermon on the Mount? Why were the religious authorities so careful about their plotting against Jesus? They thought “people will stone us” (Luke 20:5-6). The chief priests and scribes “feared the people” (Luke 20:19). They wanted to kill Jesus, but they “feared the people” (Luke 22:2). This is also said a few times in the second gospel (Mark 11:18, 32; 12:12). And when Peter cut off the ear of Malchus, he also had not grasped the nature of the plan that Jesus was living out (John 18:10).

Jesus did not entrust Himself to men (John 2:23-25), but it is also very, very clear that He did not worry about their misunderstandings. Their confusions did not even slow Him down.

 

THE WORD OF GOD IS NEVER BOUND

One of the things that Luke does for us in the Book of Acts is illustrate in a figure how the gospel cannot be thwarted or imprisoned by the wit of man. The gospel cannot be imprisoned, and Luke shows us this multiple times and in multiple ways.

“Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.” (2 Timothy 2:9). At least five of Paul’s epistles were written from prison, bringing life and liberty everywhere those letters have gone.

Luke shows us this by having two angelic jail breaks (here, and in Acts 12). Then he has an earthquake bust the prison of Philippi wide open, thus liberating the jailer (Acts 16). And then Paul is arrested in Acts 21:33, from which position he evangelizes two Roman governors (Acts 24:25; Acts 26:24), King Agrippa (Acts 26:28), a leading citizen of Malta named Publius (Acts 28:7), and the rabbis of Rome (Acts 28:23-24). The Word of God is not bound.

The gospel runs free when the evangelists do, and the gospel also runs free when the evangelists are chained to the wall.

 

THE UNCHAINED WORD OF LIFE

We see in this passage the total legitimacy of activities like Bible smuggling. Is it against the law? That actually doesn’t matter. We don’t care. The civil authorities do not have the authority to prohibit the gospel from functioning in their realm. What does the Great Commission rest on (Matt. 28:18-19)? “All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to me . . .” No civil authority has the right to say no to the gospel of free grace.

On top of that, neither do religious authorities have the right to get a bit and bridle on those who preach the word in truth. John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim’s Progress, spent years in prison, and in a Christian country, and for what? Not for preaching, but for preaching without a license. When free grace starts running around freely, it is just a matter of time before some ecclesiastical fussers want to get their foot on the brake. They will come to a man, preaching hot gospel, and they will ask him, as they asked Jesus, “By what authority do you do these things?” Look to your Bibles. Whose question is this (Matt. 21:23; Mark 11:28; Luke 20:2)?

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