Key Thought

Jesus has now entered the battlefield. Yes, he is in the Temple of God. However, his opponents are now going to bombard him with questions in hopes of getting him to commit some heinous religious offense that they can use to make him seem scandalous. Jesus' agenda, on the other hand, is to share the Good News. So outwitting his opponents at their own game, he sends them away with a question they didn't want to answer. They won't answer him, so he sends them away without an answer to their question. He is there to minister. He won't get caught up in their games with the end so near. Let's remember that we must not let religious games ever take the place of God's mission and ministry through us.

Today's Prayer

Today's Verses in Context

One day Jesus was in the temple area. He was teaching the people. Jesus told the people the Good News {about the kingdom of God}. The leading priests, teachers of the law, and older Jewish leaders came to talk to Jesus. They said, "Tell us! What authority do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?" Jesus answered, "I will ask you a question too. Tell me: When John baptized people, did that come from God or was it only from other people?" The priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish leaders all talked about this. They said to each other, "If we answer, 'John's baptism was from God,' then he will say, 'Then why did you not believe John?' But if we say that John's baptism was from someone else, {not God,} then all the people will kill us with rocks. They will kill us because they believe that John was a prophet. " So they answered, "We don't know the answer." So Jesus said to them, "Then I will not tell you what authority I use to do these things!"

— Luke 20:1-8 (ERV)

Comments on "By Whose Authority?":

Easy-to-Read Version copyright © 2001 by World Bible Translation Center. All rights reserved.