Gospel: Matthew
21:23-27
When
Jesus had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the
people approached him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you
doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them in
reply, “I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I shall
tell you by what authority I do these things. Where was John’s baptism from?
Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” They discussed this among themselves
and said, “If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you
not believe him? But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd, for they
all regard John as a prophet.” So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not
know.” He himself said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I
do these things.”
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Reflection:
When our
authority is threatened by someone else we normally confront those who threaten
it. Then the worst thing that could happen to those who are being threatened is
to kill those who are threatening it just to save their position of authority.
This
normally happens in politics and it has happened even during Jesus’ time. The
chief priest’s authority was being threatened by Jesus’ popularity among the
masses. Naturally they wanted to protect it that’s why they planned to kill
Jesus.
Why would
we be threatened if we are not concealing anything wrong? Why would we be
threatened if we are honest in our position of authority? Those who cling like
leaches to their position of authority are those who are corrupt.
Those
who are hiding something and those who treat there own area of authority as
their own fiefdom. These kinds of people are the ones who are afraid to lose
their authority. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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