UNDAILY Episode 149
They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?” Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.) So, they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
MARK 11, 27-33 (NIV)
In the Gospel according to Mark, we see Jesus engaged in a verbal clash with the chief priests. This event occurs shortly after the Master drove out the temple merchants. The scribes and elders question Christ: "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" This question probes whether God is already at work before our very eyes and in our everyday lives. In the rush of daily life, it is easy to overlook His presence, losing ourselves in our duties, problems, and worries. However, it is precisely when we are most consumed by worldly matters that God is at work most intensely. (...)
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