Monday, December 14, 2009: Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17a; Matthew 21:23-27
Posted by Rev. Bekeh Utietiang on December 14, 2009 · Leave a Comment
In today’s gospel, Jesus’ authority is being questioned by the chief priests and the elders of the people. The question is, “By what authority are you doing these things?” Jesus’ response to them puts them in a dilemma. Whatever response they give will get them into trouble. Jesus asks them the source of John’s baptism. Is it of human origin or of divine origin? If they say it is of divine origin, then they must accept the authority of Jesus Christ since John had witnessed the coming of Jesus. If they say it is of human origin, then the crowd would come against them. The people that accepted the baptism of John saw him as an authentic messenger of God. The easy way out for them was to respond, “We do not know.” This was a calculated answer. The lesson from today’s gospel is to always speak the truth as we know it and not try to give ambiguous and politically correct responses.