20:1
Part of the power and authority of Jesus is shown in the fact that he was allowed to teach in the temple courts. This was someone the religious leaders hated and wanted to do anything they could to stop, but they could do nothing. In fact, if we look at the life of Jesus during His ministry He lived in almost perpetual conflict. Each day the Pharisees and chief priests were out to get Him, and with increasing intensity. Yet He continued to do the stuff that God had sent Him to do. He taught the truth, He welcomed and mixed with various people, He cast the demons out and healed the sick. Why was He able to do all this? Because He was completely devoted to the Father. We need to do the same. We need to be always working on increasing our devotion to the Lord. This is what will enable us to thrive in an increasingly hostile environment. We should also remember that this devotion to the Father included Jesus going to the cross, and we too are called to carry our cross.
20:2
In typical fashion it seems that all the religious leaders came to Jesus to confront Him. “By what authority ..” They were incensed that this man was teaching and attracting such a following and attention from the people. Today the world questions our authority to teach the word of God. This questioning expresses itself in various forms. At a general level there is the question of how can we claim the gospel to be the only way to God, and similar questions. Then there are more specific issues like sexual morality where we are mocked and scorned.
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