Saving your reputation vs. Being yourself
Monday, December 13th, 2021
“…By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” Mt 21: 23
The high priests and elders pose this question to Jesus and He responds with a proposal: if you answer my question, I’ll answer yours.
What I see is the priests wanting to get the right answer. In the process, they are worried about appearances and reputation.
Their decision is to claim ignorance as a way to avoid speaking their mind fully.
Jesus responds accordingly.
What would have happened if the priests had answered transparently and stated what they truly believed about John’s baptism origins?
I don’t think Jesus wanted to hear the right answer. I think he was testing the priests’ and elders’ commitment to their beliefs.
The question I receive from this gospel reading is: are my actions in full alignment with what I believe even if I’m wrong, or am I focused on keeping up with appearances and reputations?
To me the priests were too focused on getting it right that they missed the point.
It reminds me of how much I try to be perfect with my actions instead of trusting God’s will for my life.
What do you hear in today’s readings?
In peace,
~Juan
