“By what authority are you doing these things?”

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

“By what authority are you doing these things?”

Gospel Reading: Matthew 21:23-27

When Jesus had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them in reply, “I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. Where was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” They discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.” So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” He himself said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

“By what authority are you doing these things?” Why are the high priests and elders so upset with Jesus? For one, they do not like his teachings. They want nothing better than to trap Jesus and prove he is wrong. They want to condemn him for his beliefs. But Jesus turns the argument around and asks them a question. “Where was John’s baptism from?” In doing so, he challenges them to speak the truth about their own questioning. Are they truly brave enough to stand up to the challenge. We too can be challenged about our faith and how we answer the question tells God about the foundation of our faith. Do you avoid the answer for fear you will be persecuted or do craft an answer that avoids conflict? The elders would not answer the question because it would either anger the crowds or validate Christ as the Messiah. They knew the true answer but did not have the strength to answer the question.

God is often associated with conflict. How often do we see Christians arguing with non Christians, Protestants arguing with Catholics, or Catholics arguing amongst themselves. Throughout history, major battles have been fought over religion. And our faith can lead to internal conflict when we have to decide between God’s will and our own. As we struggle with our faith, we must make decisions which sometimes are not easy. When you must choose between God and yourself, who wins out. The elders did not like Jesus because he was not aligned with their own beliefs. The chief priests and elders had twisted the teachings of the Old Testament to a point where it glorified them and not God. We too can find ourselves in conflict with our beliefs trying to justify our own actions. If we do not like a teaching of the church, often we try to rationalize our actions. The rationalization of sins is one of the greatest distractions along the road to the kingdom of heaven. We must ask ourselves, is this my will or God’s. When I say I do not believe in the Church’s teaching on (you fill in the blank), one must ask the simple question, “Is this because it conflicts with my will?” This is not an easy question answer and requires a deep evaluation of our own soul and beliefs. Do you disagree because it causes you to concede to God?

A Simple Prayer

Lord, you are the one true Messiah.

Help me to know your way and your will

So that I can see the truth which leads to the gates of Heaven.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon