Monday in the Third Week of Advent, December 14, 2020

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.”

The Gospel reading for today’s Mass describes what happened after the Lord cast the money changers and sellers of animals out of the Temple courtyard.  The chief priests and the elders demand to know “by what authority” the Lord acted as he did.  They are not asking in good faith, however.  They simply want an excuse to drive the Lord away and to discredit him.  They reckon that he will answer that his authority comes from God, to which they would answer that God does not drive out those selling animals for his own sacrifices, or they might say that God works through them, as the authorities over the Jews.  And yet, the high priest Annas himself compromised his pretense to real authority through accepting his appointment from the Roman legate.  He was not a priest but a political puppet.

The Lord’s question to them about the origin of John the Baptist’s ministry reveals that God has rejected — or, accepted the rejection of — the Jewish leadership.  The coming of the Messiah was not to be announced by it, and the new High Priest does not arise from the old line of Aaron, now grown corrupt, but from Melchizedek.  

Authority is necessary for us in recognizing that which is authentic and good.  We rely on those in authority to ensure that the food we eat and water we drink is safe.  We rely on authorities for learning: men and women must be certified and authorized to teach in our schools.  We rely on authority in religion as well.  God has established his Church on earth in order to teach us about his revelation in Jesus Christ, who taught what we must believe and do in order to be saved.  Let us pray for those who preserve and teach the word of God, as well as for us who receive it, so that we might ourselves bear fruit in teaching it to others.