“...By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” Mt 21: 23

The high priests and elders pose this question to Jesus and He responds with a proposal: if you answer my question, I'll answer yours.

What I see is the priests wanting to get the right answer. In the process, they are worried about appearances and reputation.

Their decision is to claim ignorance as a way to avoid speaking their mind fully.

Jesus responds accordingly.

What would have happened if the priests had answered transparently and stated what they truly believed about John's baptism origins?

I don't think Jesus wanted to hear the right answer. I think he was testing the priests' and elders' commitment to their beliefs.

The question I receive from this gospel reading is: are my actions in full alignment with what I believe even if I'm wrong, or am I focused on keeping up with appearances and reputations?

To me the priests were too focused on getting it right that they missed the point.

It reminds me of how much I try to be perfect with my actions instead of trusting God's will for my life.

What do you hear in today's readings?

In peace,

~Juan