AUTHORITY AND PERSON OF JESUS     

May 29, Saturday

 

                   EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME       

 

 

AUTHORITY AND PERSON OF JESUS

In the first reading, the Old Testament writer thanks God, from whom he has learned wisdom. God’s wisdom has brought him insight and happiness.

The Gospel shows us the Jewish leaders challenging Jesus’ authority for what he teaches and does because they feel challenged in their own authority. Jesus does not give them an answer because they are not willing to accept him anyway because they only try to justify themselves. They and we cannot understand Jesus unless we encounter and welcome and love him as a person.

 

First Reading: Sir 51:12cd-20

“You rescued my soul as it approached death; you saved my life from  the inferno below. My enemies surround me on all sides; there was no one to help. I looked around, but there wasn’t a soul. Then it was that I remembered your mercy, Lord, your kind words and works since the garden.

“You’ve delivered those who depended on you, Lord; you freed them from the grimy grasp of the wicked. I raised my supplication from the earth; I prayed for death to take a holiday. I invoked the Lord: ‘You  are   my Father; don’t abandon me in the day of trouble; don’t leave me without help amidst storms and dangers.’ I’ll praise your name without stop; I’ll join in the general confession. You’ve freed me from dangerous times; you’ve rescued me from wicked times. I’ll call out to you; I’ll pray to you; I’ll bless the name of the Lord.”

From the time I was young, before I sinned for the first time, I sought wisdom openly in my prayer. I demanded it right in front of the Temple. Right down to the present day I inquired after it; eventually, it opened like a f lower, like a grape before its time. My heart leapt like a leopard; my foot stayed on the straight and narrow. From my youth I’d been searching for it; I inclined my ear a little and there she was, Lady Wisdom. She was more than enough for me, and since discovering her I’ve progressed a great deal.

To the one who gave wisdom, I’ll return the glory. I made a plan, I kept to the plan, and I wasn’t disappointed. My soul wrestled with wisdom; I followed the rules of engagement with the Lord. I extended my hands on high; the things I couldn’t understand I came to understand. I directed my soul to wisdom; I found it had a purifying effect; I had it in my heart right from the beginning; right from the start I knew it couldn’t be left behind. Looking for wisdom and not finding it upset me terribly; looking for wisdom and finding it calmed me wonderfully. For my reward, the Lord gave me the gift of language. With it I praise him back.

 

Gospel: Mark 11:27-33

 

His Credentials

Then when they were back in Jerusalem once again, as they were walking through the Temple, the high priests, religion scholars, and leaders came up and demanded, “Show us your credentials. Who authorized you to speak and act like this?”

Jesus responded, “First let me ask you a question. Answer my question and then I’ll present my credentials. About the baptism of John—who authorized it: heaven or humans? Tell me.”

They were on the spot, and knew it. They pulled back into a huddle and whispered, “If we say ‘heaven,’ he’ll ask us why we didn’t believe John; if we say ‘humans,’ we’ll be up against it with the people because they all hold John up as a prophet.” They decided to concede that round to Jesus. “We don’t know,” they said.

Jesus replied, “Then I won’t answer your question either.”

 

Prayer

Lord our God,
you are the source of all wisdom.
Speak your word to us today
and open our hearts to it,
that we may learn to look with your eyes
to the world and to people
and that your wisdom
may guide us in all we do.
We ask you this through him you sent among us
and in whom we believe,
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Reflection:

 

Recognized the hand of God

Chief priests, scribes, and senior men – These three groups comprised the Jewish governing body, the Sanhedrin. They confronted Jesus over the issue of him chasing out the animal sellers and money exchangers from the temple on the previous day. They ask Jesus “with what authority ” he did things and “who had given him such authority ”. When authority arises from the position, the power, the money and fame, normally such authority imposes itself and seeks the dominance of the other; tries to subdue the other. Power, money, and fame seek privilege, and even try to control God.

The temple authorities believed that they had already trapped him on the issue of authority. To teach people in the temple are required training under a recognised Rabbi. Did Jesus have the required educational qualifications? They were not aware of any! Hence, the temple authorities wanted to discredit him before the common people and stop him from teaching them in the temple area.
Jesus turned the table back on them by questioning them about not accepting John the Baptist. If they were unable to recognise or to accept the divine authority behind the mission of John, they would not have recognized the hand of God behind the works of Jesus. Jesus did not bother entering into further dialogue with them. The ignorant one from Galilee had outsmarted the elites from the centre.
Today, the detractors of the Church, use this act of Jesus cleansing the temple against the clergy and church leadership whom they do not like. We do listen to comments such as “If Jesus were to come back to the Church today, he would be chasing out our priests and church-leaders.” But there is a difficulty in such comments: Through such comments, they are trying to assume the role of Jesus and decide what would be the likes and dislikes of Jesus. In other words, they are already passing judgement on others.
We too, of course, can have a similar blindness of the temple authorities. When questioned about the baptism of John, they preferred to play ignorant and blind. “We do not know,” was their evasive answer. When we are preoccupied with our social status, power, authority and position, we run into the danger of refusing to see the presence and work of God in situations where we do not want to see it. We refuse to see the hand of God working in people in whom we do not want to see it. But God uses any person, any experience, good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant, to communicate with us. “Help me, Lord, to seek and find and respond to you in every experience of my life.”

 

Video available on Youtube: Recognized the hand of God