August 30

Luke 20:1-8 (Click to see scripture)

Bible in One Year Passages:

Journal Entry

Scripture

"One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up and said to him, 'Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.' He answered them, 'I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?'" (Luke 20:1-4)

Observation

Here is another conflict that the religious leaders had with Jesus. They questioned Jesus’ authority right after He cleansed the temple. They demanded, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.” Their intent was to catch Him in His words so they could bring some charge against Him. But as a master teacher, Jesus responded them with another question. “Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” Now this was very difficult for them to answer. It’s because they refused to approve John’s baptism since he humiliated them. They were too prideful. At the same time, they were afraid to deny John’s authority because people really believed in John the Baptist. So, the religious leaders took a safe route by refusing to answer Jesus’ question. So Jesus therefore refused to answer their question. The implication here was that Jesus was doing His work with the same authority of God by which John the Baptist baptized.

Application

It’s interesting that religious leaders were so close to Jesus, yet so far from Him. They followed Jesus for all the wrong reasons. Even though they were expected to understand Jesus better than anyone else, they had no clue about Him. They were very religious, yet failed to have a relationship with God. Their authentic mission (to lead God’s people to worship) was derailed by their shadow mission (to become the object of people’s worship). In the name of serving God, our hearts can so easily tempted to pursue something that is selfish and unworthy and dark (a shadow mission). We can have a title of religious leader and serve so faithfully, but only to find our hearts hungry to be recognized and applauded by people who may give us a false sense of significance.

Prayer

Lord, today I take a journey to the center of my heart. In solitude, I honestly look into my heart and find if my motive is pure and my heart is right in serving You. Lord, I surrender my agenda, my desires, and even my needs … all to You that I would stay true to the mission You have called me to. In Jesus name, Amen.

--Stephen Han