²³ Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”

²⁴ Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ²⁵ John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

²⁷ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

Dear God, what should they have done? I’m looking at the chief priests and elders here and wondering, given their misgivings and concerns about Jesus, what should they have done? I think in an ideal world they should have gone and asked to speak with Jesus privately. Three or four of them meeting with Jesus and two or three disciples. They should have sat down and asked their questions. They should have said, “Help us understand.” Jesus would have answered in extraordinary ways and then the hardness of their hearts would have determined what they did from there. I would think that at that point, if they rejected Jesus, they could have kept him from entering the Temple as a heretic. But instead they impulsively came up with their questions and tried to publicly shame him and embarrass him. Of course, that didn’t work because he was, indeed, you and he was there by your authority (to answer their question in verse 23).

One of the things that is important for me to remember is that I don’t have to have people think I am the smartest person in the room. If I want truth then I can often seek truth quietly and behind the scenes. Sometimes this isn’t possible, but I think that, in the interest of me glorifying you, I should do it when I can.

Father, the chief priests and elders had an agenda that was of their own making. It was not of you to try to discredit Jesus. It was of them. So I ask that you would be my motivation and guide my actions through whatever challenges lie in front of me. I want to point the world to you and not to me. I want to decrease as you increase. I want to live in your peace and embrace you wholly.