Luke 20:1-8 Jesus’ Authority Questioned

On one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him,  and they spoke, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?”  Jesus answered and said to them, “I will also ask you a question, and you tell Me: ⁴ Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”  They reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’  But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”  So they answered that they did not know where it came from.  And Jesus said to them, “Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

When a child asks a question in earnest, one gladly gives a complete and a prompt reply.  But this is not the case with the chief priests and the scribes.  They were not seeking an answer to their question, but they were rebuking Jesus as the Anointed One.  It was an usurp to His authority, and when Jesus asks them a question in reply, they expose their hypocrisy. 

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe in my mind that you can do all things, but my sinful nature oft times prevents me from relying expressly on You.  Help me with this fleshly wound and heal my soul to join with my mind so that I can faithfully believe, trust and obey.  In Your holy name I pray Amen.