"Who Gave You Authority?"

GOOD MORNING!

"Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." I Corinthians 15:57

Jesus knew that God the Father had given Him the authority to do everything He had done in His life and ministry [John 5:19-29]. Matthew 21 reveals several aspects of this authority: Christ came to Jerusalem and received praise and worship from the people, cleansed the temple, and taught in the temple courts. These actions led the religious leaders to ask, “By what authority are You doing these things? Who gave You this authority?” (v. 23). The religious leaders were questioning Jesus’ authority to do what He did. They essentially asked, “Is it from God or from man?” Today people still question His authority.

This was more than innocent questions by the religious leaders, they had already rejected John the Baptist’s message; these questions often come from unbelief. They had already rejected earlier revelation from God, so their rejection of Jesus was not altogether unexpected.

Unbelief isn’t the only reason people question Jesus’ authority. These questions often come from misplaced fear, which is what we see in reading Matthew 21:26. Instead of fearing God, which the Bible says is the beginning of knowledge [Proverbs 1:7], these leaders had an unhealthy fear of man. This misplaced fear is what led them to question Jesus, and it leads many people to question Jesus’ authority today. The question for us this Easter season is - Will we let unbelief and the opinions of others control us, or will we submit to God and His Son Jesus Christ?

Much love and care, Pastor Pat

GREECE ASSEMBLY OF GOD