"By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?"

Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?" But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: The baptism of John -- where was it from? From heaven or from men?" And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet." So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

"But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.' He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went. then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said to Him, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."

- Matthew 21:23-32

In our current readings, Jesus has come to Jerusalem. In yesterday's reading, as His first act in Jerusalem, Jesus went to the great temple, and He cleansed the temple. He drove out all who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'" Still in the temple, He healed the blind and lame, and many cried out "Hosanna to the Son of David!" The chief priests and scribes were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes, Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?" He went and stayed in Bethany, outside the city. In the morning, returning to Jerusalem, He was hungry and saw a fig tree. He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." Immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?" So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.

Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?" His second day in the city, Jesus returns to the temple to teach. We recall His first act of cleansing the temple from yesterday's reading. This question is reasonable. But it is more than that: it is the crux of the matter. What is His authority? Why did He do what He did? Who gives Him this authority? While the chief priests and elders -- the leadership of the religious establishment -- perhaps ask for their own reasons, this question is central to our own understanding of our faith. My study bible notes here: "Since the chief priests and the elders cannot object to Jesus' miracles, they bring charges against Him for His chastisement of the tradesmen in the temple. Since He is not a Levitical priests and does not have the schooling normally required of a rabbi, Jesus is asked about His authority to cleanse the temple."

But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: The baptism of John -- where was it from? From heaven or from men?" And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet." So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things." My study bible says of these men, "Because they are motivated by unbelief and hostility, Jesus does not answer, but confounds His adversaries with a question of His own." It's a very sly question, because the question itself once again begs us to hear what is contained in it. Truly, where does the authority for John's baptism come from? For us, once again in our faith, it is a serious question, at the heart of how and why we believe. It calls us all to discernment. The concern of these men is only with the crowds, with their place as leadership -- and what will the people do? These questions themselves, about Jesus' authority, and the authority of John, call us to a different place, if we listen in a certain way. They call us to the center of faith and grace: where does the authority of John and Jesus really come from? And Whose opinion should we take the most seriously if we want to get to the heart of the matter of faith, of grace and truth?

"But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.' He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went. then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said to Him, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him." Jesus' parable takes us closer and deeper into the reality of faith, and grace and truth in the heart. In chapter 15 of Matthew's gospel, Jesus quotes from Isaiah: "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me." Today's parable given by Jesus seems to be an example of this prophecy. My study bible says that "He mentions the tax collectors and harlots, presumed to be great sinners, to jolt His hearers into obedience." We also remember Jesus' parable of the vineyard, and those who would work in it. But again, the discussion here is central to our faith, to grace and truth. No matter where we start from, when we come to the place in the heart where faith begins, we are there with Him. This is why repentance is a great key to faith: when the true authority is recognized, His grace is right there.

Ultimately, today's reading is about the hardness of heart that keeps us from seeing what is right in front of us. Questions of authority -- the authority of Jesus to cleanse the temple, the authority of John to baptize -- these questions call us in faith to the place where faith begins. How do we perceive grace? How do we know the presence and the work of God? What the leadership fails to perceive themselves are the things we are truly called to by their questions. But Jesus Himself takes us to the true heart of the matter: that He is standing right before them is an opportunity for opening up their hearts, for seeing, and turning, for changing their minds. This is like the "wake up call" we spoke of in yesterday's commentary. And yet, they fail to hear Him, even though, as my study bible points out, He uses the example of tax collectors and harlots to jolt them awake. While these people ask their questions for their own reasons within their own hearts, let our faith turn us seriously to the questions posed, and to Jesus' answers which illuminate the true strength of faith and grace. Grace helps us to know what is in front of us, to know and understand the work of Spirit in our lives. And grace is present with us when we change our minds, when we are just willing to reconsider. God's love will take that crack in the opening of the door of the heart and makes its place there within us. This is the power of faith, of relationship, and of love. Grace and truth are in that place. Let us remember we must always be willing to let Him in, to truly see what is before us, where His presence is for us.