Authority Questions: Who Gave Jesus His Power?
Daily Scripture
Matthew 21:23-32
23 When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and elders of the people came to him as he was teaching. They asked, “What kind of authority do you have for doing these things? Who gave you this authority?”
24 Jesus replied, “I have a question for you. If you tell me the answer, I’ll tell you what kind of authority I have to do these things. 25 Where did John get his authority to baptize? Did he get it from heaven or from humans?”
They argued among themselves, “If we say ‘from heaven,’ he’ll say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But we can’t say ‘from humans’ because we’re afraid of the crowd, since everyone thinks John was a prophet.” 27 Then they replied, “We don’t know.”
Jesus also said to them, “Neither will I tell you what kind of authority I have to do these things.
28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. Now he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’
29 “‘No, I don’t want to,’ he replied. But later he changed his mind and went.
30 “The father said the same thing to the other son, who replied, ‘Yes, sir.’ But he didn’t go.
31 “Which one of these two did his father’s will?”
They said, “The first one.”
Jesus said to them, “I assure you that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering God’s kingdom ahead of you. 32 For John came to you on the righteous road, and you didn’t believe him. But tax collectors and prostitutes believed him. Yet even after you saw this, you didn’t change your hearts and lives and you didn’t believe him.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Stung by Sunday’s events, the religious leaders tried to deny Jesus’ authority. Jesus asked in reply, “What authority did John the Baptizer have for his baptizing ministry?” The leaders knew better than to admit their rejection of John, so they said, “We don’t know.” Then Jesus told a pointed story: A father asked two sons to work in his vineyard. One said no but later changed his mind and went. The other said yes, but didn’t go. Which son did the father’s will? The answer seemed simple—the one who actually worked. But living that way isn’t always simple, then or now.
- Jesus’ question wasn’t just clever evasion. He was acting on the same authority as John—God’s living presence. The religious authorities hadn’t recognized that authority in John, so naturally, they fought it in Jesus too. What are important indicators of God’s living presence in any activity? How can that divine presence work through established channels? When does it need to reach beyond them?
- In Jesus’ day, people didn’t just dislike tax collectors—they despised them as traitors who served Rome and exploited the poor. Prostitutes were social outcasts. Yet Jesus said these despised people were entering God’s Kingdom before the religious leaders. How could this be? What would it look like for you and your congregation to intentionally choose to choose values in line with the ones Jesus said God values most?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me keep asking the right questions. Help me always seek to grasp what you are doing, rather than protecting my comfort or position. Make my actions match my words. Amen.
GPS Insights
Denise Mersmann
Denise Mersmann, who serves as the Care Coordination Director for the church wide Care Central department at Church of the Resurrection, wrote today's Insights.
In today’s passage, people attempted to reduce Jesus’ power. They sought to undermine his message by asking who had given him authority. They were afraid of what Jesus had to say, and the influence he had.
You see, the chief priests and elders challenging Jesus were concerned about losing their own influence over the people.
At first, when I read this, I thought how ridiculous these priests and elders were being. But as I began reading different versions of this passage, and trying to visualize this scenario, I caught a peek of our world today. And more concerning, glimpses of myself.
Jesus called out the people who were putting on a front: those with eloquent speech, wealth and power, but without compassion or kindness. He was comparing them to people who these priests and elders felt were beneath them, unworthy. The leaders of the time wanted to be seen for their power and might, with a clear separation from the common people. At first reading, that seemed so archaic. So different from the world today.
But, is it really?
Thinking about the people that our society holds in high regard, I realize that we tend to embrace many of the kinds of people that Jesus called out.
We tend to admire and respect people for the balance in their bank account. Our heroes are selected for their athletic achievements, or the number of social media followers they have.
We embrace people with shiny, fancy, flashy covers, often failing to look beyond the surface to see the substance of that person’s heart, the content of their character.
I would love to say that I don’t do that, but I do. I believe each of us does to some extent.
And yet, when I think about my friends and family members, the people I care about have something under the surface—love for others, love for me, and loves for people, shiny or not.
My loved ones may challenge authority, but it isn’t to elevate themselves. They challenge for the people who aren’t able to stand up on their own. I pray that when people think of me and times that I have chosen to stand opposed to power that it was not for my own ego, but to level the playing field for someone in need.
