27 Again they came to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him 28 and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me.” 31 They argued with one another, “What should we say? If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”—they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
Prayer Focus: I am surprised that the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders allow Jesus back into the temple grounds, but on this third day in Jerusalem, we find Jesus there again. The leaders want to know by what authority Jesus is acting. Remember, he has disrupted the entire sacrificial system of the temple. Who gave him authority to do that? Jesus responds with a question of his own: did the baptism of John come from heaven or was it of human origin? The leaders find themselves in a quandary, so they say they do not know. Jesus refuses to disclose the source of his authority as well. So often we try to put people in corners with either/or questions. Life is rarely that simple. Pray that you might be open to the mystery of God’s power and authority.
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