The Authority of Jesus Questioned

Scripture:  Matthew 21:23-32  (NIV)

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?" 

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. John's baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?" 

They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' But if we say, 'From men'—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet." 

So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." 
Then he said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

"What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' 
" 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 

"Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. 

"Which of the two did what his father wanted?" 
"The first," they answered. 

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him."

comment:  wow, the last sentence says it all.  until we repent, none are even eligible to believe.  guess that is why the steps say "came to believe."  friends, we are engaged in a process, not an event.

to support this, we offer that after seeing thousands of groups of people, in the first - original anonymous fellowship - effort of anonymous recovery, they made the statement, "it seems clear to us that the grace of god will not enter our lives, to dispel our destructive obsessions, until we at least try this;" step five, telling what we did that was wrong, by our own conscience - integrity.

Prayer:  oh gracious heavenly father, how we praise and worship you for allowing us to turn to your son's spirit, so that we could learn how to repent.