Chief priests and elders of the people confront Him while He is teaching. They ask Him two questions:
By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?
Jesus responds with a question that if they answer He will answer their questions:
Where was the baptism of John from? Heaven or men?
They are unsure how to answer for fear of the people or fear of being confronted by Jesus on why They did not believe John's words. So they answer:
"We don't know."
Jesus responds by telling them He will not share by what authority He is doing these things.
The priests and elders already knew what Jesus answer would be to what authority Jesus was doing those things.
But they didn't want to really believe that was the answer. It says they were indignant to Him. Why? He was doing all these miracles and headings and speaking words of life and truth. But the words of truth were full of conviction to the leaders. Which either meant change or meant gathering together and being indignant to change.
Something to be careful of. Careful when things come to us and maybe they are convicting, maybe they are changing things done differently in the past... We have to take every thing back to the Word of Truth and see what it says, pray about it asking for wisdom from the Holy Spirit. Often when those things are brought into our lives it is to help clean up sin that we might be struggling with. But do we choose to address it, keeping our hearts soft, or do we harden up and stay the way we are.
It also meant if one of the leaders were to acknowledge Jesus as truth, they would have been separating themselves from the others around them. Fear of man brings a snare.
Jesus offends people. Not everyone is going to like Him or want to follow Him. But He is who He is without compromise. And to the blind and the lame He was exactly who they wanted. They couldn't see but their eyes were opened to truth. They knew they needed fixing that could only found in Him. And to them Jesus was very attractive.
I heard in church this week that we need to how the world the attractiveness of Jesus without compromise. I pray that is how I can live my life. That those around me will see my life solidified in Jesus and they will see His beauty in me.
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