Third Monday in Advent

By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?

Authority has always been important for us as human beings. When we have questions that need to be answered, we do not ask anyone, but rather we ask those whom we believe have authoritative experience with the issue at hand. When someone of equal or lesser status tells us to do something we may or may not do it, but if someone of higher authority tells us to do it, we tend to drop what we are doing and take up the task. Even those of us who tend to buck authority still have the ability to recognize it when we see it. There is something about it which draws or repulses us like magnetic poles. When the chief priests and elders question where Jesus’ authority comes from they question everything about him, and so he turns the question back on them by asking if John the Baptist’s baptism was of heavenly or earthly origin. This is what they are asking of Jesus. Are you a heavenly prophet or earthly man? When they cannot answer about John, Jesus refuses to answer them because if they cannot recognize John’s origin, then how can they do so with Christ’s?

In what areas of our lives do we question Jesus’ authority over us? Do we spend enough time each day recognizing the heavenly origins of the people, places, and things around us? What authority has God given us and how do we use it to bring about His Will?

O Lord, you have authority over us all. Grant that we might not question this authority, but rather learn how to be humble servants to you in all things.

Amen.