Christ's Authority Calls Us to Have Faith

By Samantha Rodriguez

“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?’ 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. 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?” But if we say, “Of human origin”—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.’ So they answered Jesus, ‘We don’t know.’ Then he said, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.’”—Matthew 21:23–27 (NIV)

Have you ever had a moment of leaving others speechless? It’s the sort of moment that leaves you feeling pretty cool. Jesus had a lot of these moments! He would often leave people speechless because of the way He presented truth so boldly and confidently. He didn’t just speak truthfully, He spoke with authority.

One of our first images of Jesus in the Book of Mark is of Him casting out a demon in Capernaum. After doing this we read, “The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, ‘What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him’” (Mark 1:27 NIV).

Unlike Old Testament prophets, Jesus didn’t preface His teachings with, “Thus says the Lord.” He also didn’t refer to other rabbis when teaching. He just taught. More importantly, He clearly taught with a power that touched people’s hearts and changed people’s lives. With His teaching and His words came healing, new life, and freedom! This is a huge reason why people were drawn to Jesus, and news about Him spread like wildfire! At the same time, this is also the reason why many synagogue leaders wanted Him dead. That is where we find ourselves today nearing the end of Matthew.

In this Scripture, Jesus is teaching in the temple courts when the chief priests and elders ask Him by what authority He is teaching and healing. If you haven’t noticed already, throughout the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus always responds to questions like these with wisdom and cleverness. He doesn’t fall into the trap of His enemies and remains true to His identity. In today’s passage, Jesus answers by asking the synagogue leaders a question that exposes their hearts. They were both afraid of His authority being divine and afraid of the people. Overall, they were too concerned with their own “righteousness” and reputation.

Jesus knows our hearts. He knows that if He were to plainly announce that He was the Savior and divine Son of God, He would probably attract a crowd of people who were only interested in the hype rather than true faith. His miracles, teaching, and overall ministry already drew a crowd nonetheless, so perhaps the reason Jesus tends to speak in parables and avoid answering these ill-intended questions from His enemies is that He’s more interested in cultivating faith in people.

Faith doesn’t exist when we have all the answers. Faith exists when we acknowledge our weakness and frailty and choose to trust in something greater than ourselves. True faith exists when we allow God to be the true King of our hearts and exercise all authority in our lives—and this is what Jesus came to show us: that He is the King, the One with all authority, and the only One worthy of our complete faith, trust, and worship!

Pause: What does it mean that Jesus had authority unlike anyone else on the earth? What does this mean to you in your life?

Practice: Evaluate your heart today and see what you’re withholding from God. Write these things down and pray Jesus would have complete authority in your life and that you would give Him your complete worship!

Pray: Holy Jesus, You are so powerful and wonderful! You are the Son of God! You are divine and eternal! Thank You for being kind and patient with us even when we fall short. I’m so glad to know that You have all authority and that Your authority beckons me to put my complete faith in You. I give myself to You today and ask You to help me live in a constant state of worship and trust. I love You, Jesus! Amen.