Matthew 21:23-27

When Jesus had come into the temple area,

the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him

as he was teaching and said,

“By what authority are you doing these things? 

And who gave you this authority?” 

Jesus said to them in reply,

“I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me,

then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. 

Where was John’s baptism from?

Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” 

They discussed this among themselves and said,

“If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us,

‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 

But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd,

for they all regard John as a prophet.” 

So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” 

He himself said to them,

“Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, help me to hear more clearly the voice of John the Baptist this Advent. I want to repent from my sinful ways and embrace the way that leads to eternal life with you. I trust in the divine and royal authority of your Son. Without him, I can do nothing. With him, all things are possible.

Encountering the Word of God

1. By What Authority? Today’s Gospel continues our Advent meditation on the figure of John the Baptist. Just as John prepared the people to welcome the Lord’s Messiah two thousand years ago, John’s message and example prepare us to welcome Jesus into our lives this Advent season. Today’s Gospel takes place the day after Jesus entered the Temple in Jerusalem and cleansed the Court of the Gentiles of the moneychangers and sellers of animals for sacrifice. We see the chief priests and elders of the people approach Jesus, attempting to put an end to his actions and teaching. When they ask by what authority (exousia) Jesus has cleansed the Temple and is now teaching in it, they think they are setting a trap for Jesus. On the one hand, if Jesus answers negatively that he hasn’t received authority from God, they will cast him out of the Temple. On the other hand, if Jesus answers in the affirmative that he has authority from God, they will accuse him of blasphemy and cast him out of the Temple. Instead of falling into their trap and answering their question, Jesus follows the rabbinic method of answering a difficult question with a question that points the questioner to the answer. Jesus asks them about John the Baptist’s authority and whether or not it came from God. “This counterquestion is not a change in topic. In this question Jesus implies continuity between John’s ministry and his own: just as John’s authority came from God, so does his” (Mitch and Sri, The Gospel of Matthew, 274).

2. Jesus’ Divine Authority: The chief priests and the elders know they cannot answer Jesus’ question. On the one hand, if they answer in the negative and say that John’s baptism was not from God, they will face the anger of the people who regarded John as a prophet. On the other hand, if they answer in the affirmative and say that John’s baptism was from God, Jesus will ask them why they did not follow John’s exhortation to repent (Matthew 3:7-8) and to prepare for the coming (advent) of the Lord’s Messiah. If the chief priests and elders had accepted John’s baptism, testimony, and authority, they would have had to accept Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah of Israel. Earlier in the Gospel of Matthew, John gave witness that he saw the Spirit of God descending upon Jesus like a dove. This anointing with the Spirit points back to two passages from Isaiah that find their fulfillment in Jesus. Isaiah 11:1-2 reads: “But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him.” And, in Isaiah 61:1, it reads: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring good news to the afflicted, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, release to the prisoners.” The chief priests and elders refused to accept John’s authority, and now they are denying Jesus’ divine authority.

3. The Gift of Authority: Matthew’s Gospel often uses the term “authority” (exousia), which can also mean “power.” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught as one who had “authority” (Matthew 7:29). Along with this teaching power, Jesus had healing power (Matthew 8:9), forgiving power (Matthew 9:6), and power to exorcise demons (Matthew 10:1). He gave a share in this power to Peter (Matthew 16:18) and later to his apostles (Matthew 18:18). By giving them a share in his authority and power, he empowers them to act in his name. At first, they were sent only to the “lost sheep of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-8). But when Jesus rises from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father, he calls attention to his heavenly and earthly authority and sends out his empowered eleven disciples to all nations: “Then Jesus approached and said to them, ‘All power (exousia) in heaven and on earth has been given to me. God, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20). The share in the authority and power of Jesus is passed on from generation to generation through the Sacrament of Holy Orders. We see this authority in the Church’s teachings, and this power in the Church’s Sacraments.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, guide my steps as I walk toward you this Advent. Help me to overcome any pharisaical hypocrisy and embrace the path of metanoia. Purify my mind to think as you do.

Living the Word of God: How am I responding, during this Advent season, to the call of John the Baptist to repent? Have I made plans to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation at my local parish? Can I invite my entire family to participate?