“The baptism of John—from where was it? From heaven or from men? And they reasoned and argued with one another, If we say, From heaven, He will ask us, Why then did you not believe him? But if we say, From men—we are afraid of and must reckon with the multitude, for they all regard John as a prophet. So they answered Jesus, We do not know. And He said to them, Neither will I tell you by what power of authority I do these things.” Matthew 21:25-27 ->me: This passage is from when Jesus came back to the Temple in Jerusalem to teach right after the ‘Fig Tree Incident’. The Sanhedrin was questioning Jesus’ authority and from Whom He received it. 2 big points I take away here. 1) the Elders/Chief Priests were more concerned about their idol of public sentiment than the truth that John the Baptist and Jesus had the same ministry -> the Messiah is here and His name is Jesus. [there are too many churches that operate with this same idol in their midst] 2) the Elders/Chief Priests hated the ministry of John the Baptist and Jesus because it took away the exclusivity that was ‘the Chosen Children of Israel’. Just because you were born of Abraham no longer meant that you were secure. Now that Jesus had come meant that even if you were not born of Abraham, you had an opportunity at Eternity with the Almighty God. Life application questions: Am I guilty of feeling exclusive in my ministry? Do I try to conform God’s word to the culture and social norms of our society?
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