Jesus used his divine authority, not to dominate, but to serve

 
Reading: 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?” Matthew 21:23.
 
Good morning, happy Monday, and many blessings my dear family.
 
The setting for today’s Gospel (Matthew 21:23-27) is the temple. When Jesus entered the temple, the elders and chief priests approached Him. They immediately began questioning Him. They asked Him who it was that gave Him authority to heal and preach?

Instead of answering their questions, Jesus turns the table on the elders and priests by asking them where they believed John’s baptism was from? Did they believe it was from heaven or did they think it was of human origin? The elders and priests were in a quandary. They realized that if they said they believed that John’s baptism was from heaven, Jesus then might ask them: “why didn’t you believe John?” However, if they told Jesus that they did not believe in John’s baptism, Jesus then would ask them why they did not believe that John was the man “sent by God to testify to the truth?”

Can you imagine the frustration, fear, and anger the elders and priests experienced? They were in a quandary! No matter how they answered, they would be in an awkward position. The temple officials were silent for a time. Finally, one of them answered and simply said: “We do not know.” In turn, Jesus responds by refusing to tell them where His authority came from.

A person with ‘authority’ is not just someone who wields coercive power over others. The exercise of genuine authority is not to control, but on the contrary, to be an agent in releasing the potential that is in people, to be an empowering agent.
 
Jesus did not wield coercive authority. He invited people to follow him. He came to serve not be served. He came to give life, life in its fullness. He came to lead people into the full development of all they could be and were meant to be. How do I respond to this invitation from Jesus?
In order to sustain a steady faith in the identity of the One Who Was To Come, we ourselves will need, given our weakness, to leave ourselves open to heavenly influence.
 
Among the people of God, authority can be misused. Jesus used his divine authority, not to dominate, but to serve. Whatever authority I have, let me use it in loving service of those around me. Do I appreciate my own authority in proclaiming the truth of Jesus? Am I comfortable with it? There are chief priests and elders in the temple of this time. How do they affect me? In the light of the reading, I pray for the inner freedom that leads me to a deeper relationship with Jesus, the true center of my worship.
 
Blessings,

Luis+