DGeMs- Daily Gospel eMessage
Dear Friend in the Lord,
“Challenging Jesus’ Authority” – Faith: In the Gospels, the Temple authorities challenge Jesus’ Authority: to drive out money changers from the Temple, heal on the Sabbath, proclaim the Good News of Salvation and forgive sins. Ponder on, “Only Jesus; the Son of God, and no other prophets is able to do all these divine things.”
Fr Philip Heng, S.J.
Matthew 21:23-27
Jesus had gone into the Temple and was teaching, when the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him and said, ‘What authority have you for acting like this? And who gave you this authority?’ In reply Jesus said to them, ‘And I will ask you a question, just one; if you tell me the answer to it, then I will tell you my authority for acting like this. John’s baptism: what was its origin, heavenly or human?’
And they argued this way among themselves, ‘If we say heavenly, he will retort to us, “Then why did you refuse to believe him?” but if we say human, we have the people to fear, for they all hold that John was a prophet.’
So their reply to Jesus was, ‘We do not know.’ And he retorted to them, ‘Nor will I tell you my authority for acting like this.’