Holy Week Day 2: The Authority of Christ

Today’s Scripture Reading: Matthew 21:23-27

²³ Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”
²⁴ Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.²⁵ John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”
²⁷ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

In this passage, Jesus is questioned by the chief priests of the temple courts about his authority and the miracles he had performed. Despite witnessing Jesus’ miracles and teachings, the priests were consumed with contempt and tried to trap him with their questions.

Jesus teaches us that we cannot manipulate God to answer our prayers as we want him to. When praying to God, we must check our motives and be truthful about our disposition. We can test our motives by asking ourselves if we would still love and worship God if he denies our requests or if things do not go how we hoped.

Christ desires a truthful relationship with us, where we can share our discomforts, insecurities, and areas where we need help and deliverance. As we check our motives, we must also examine the condition of our hearts, whether we truly love God and trust him with our problems.

The good news is that Christ already knows the motives of our hearts and intercedes for us on our behalf. He wants us to trust in his good and perfect will and surrender the outcomes of our prayers to him.

Let us bring our prayers to God, be truthful about the troubles in our souls, and trust in his sovereignty. May our relationship with Christ be characterized by honesty, trust, and surrender. We must strive to be truthful with God about our motives and surrender to his will.