Awesome Authority

Jesus was known for saying and doing some pretty outrageous things. After receiving the worship of the people on Sunday and flipping tables in the temple on Monday, the religious leaders intercept Jesus on Tuesday demanding He tell them "by what authority" He does these things. It's like asking, "what right do you have?" They would love for Jesus to say "by God's authority" because then they would have religious grounds to kill Him. But, Jesus graciously subverts their schemes with a brilliant question of His own and a subsequent parable. Confronted by Jesus' claim to authority that is above all, over all and for all; the religious leaders must decide how they will respond. We, too, must decide how we will respond to Jesus' awesome authority--rebel or receive.