Matthew 21:24-27

24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.- Matthew 21:24-27

Dear Jesus,

How carefully you exposed their unwillingness to humbly trust in you. You had cleansed the temple and taken away their earthly gain from the commerce there. You had condemned their leadership for allowing it too. You had gathered hundreds to hear your word. You had healed droves of people even moments before. But they were still hardened to you. They would not believe that you had come to save their souls. So, they tried to trap you with the question about why you felt you had authority to act without their approval. It was the same question they posed to John the Baptist in John 1. They refused to believe that God had visited them according to prophecy. Lord Jesus, I know what authority sent you. It was the authority of your Father's love for me. You obeyed that authority because I haven't. You followed his will to get rid of the rap sheet I had amassed. I'm so grateful today that on that day in the temple you stood up to those men. In doing so, you stayed on track to save the world. Give me the courage to speak up for you among my friends and family because you spoke up for me in the temple courts on the week you died for me. Make me a light to people that shines so brightly they have to reckon with who you are one way or another. Make my life count for something other than just me.

Amen

Find out what "Truth" thinks before you worry about what people think and you will always find your way through any dilemma.

Additional Reading: Luke 6