REFLECTIONS TODAY

With the appearance of John the Baptist by the second week of Advent, the Gospel readings often focus on the person and role of this son of Zechariah who preaches in the desert as a prophet instead of serving in the Temple like his father, they being of the tribe of Levi. John is accused by his detractors for being a demoniac because of his asceticism. In the Gospel, his authority to baptize in the Jordan is brought to the fore by Jesus whose cleansing of the Temple is being questioned by the chief priests and elders. Aside from holding that no prophet arises from Galilee (Jn 7:52), they are alarmed by Jesus’ actions and teaching. So they confront him with a question: “By what authority are you doing these things?” Instead of calling attention to himself, Jesus directs it to John the Baptist. Did his authority to baptize come from God (heavenly) or did he appropriate it by himself (of human origin)? They are put in a dilemma. If they say “from God,” they incriminate themselves for not believing in John’s baptism. On the other hand, if they declare that John’s baptism is “from men,” they are afraid of the crowd who regard John as a prophet. Through embarrassment on one hand and fear on the other, the authorities claim ignorance of the origin of John’s “authority.” As they show themselves incapable of speaking “with authority,” Jesus refuses to answer them regarding the grounds of his own authority.

GOSPEL • 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.”

SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2021,” ST. PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.