Matthew 21:23-27
When he had returned to the Temple
and was teaching, the chief priests and other Jewish leaders came up to him and
demanded to know by whose authority he had thrown out the merchants the day
before. “I’ll tell you if you answer one question first,” Jesus replied. “Was
John the Baptist sent from God or not?” They talked it over among themselves.
“If we say, ‘From God,’” they said, “then he will ask why we didn’t believe
what John said. And if we deny that God sent him, we’ll be mobbed, for the
crowd all think he was a prophet.” So they finally replied, “We don’t know!”
And Jesus said, “Then I won’t answer your question either.
Food for thought!
Tell Jesus
and Jesus will tell you!
They came to Jesus with a question; they wanted to know some truth about Jesus. They demanded to know by whose authority he had thrown out the temple merchants the day before. But before Jesus told them the answer, he demanded to know what they knew: I'll tell you if and when you tell me. Jesus said to them! And that is always the principle. For Jesus to tell us the truth, we must tell him first the truth.
Before you question Jesus get ready for Jesus' own question; before you ask Jesus, Jesus will ask you. For instance, before you ask forgiveness from Jesus, Jesus will ask you to forgive; before you ask Jesus to get, Jesus will ask you to give; before you ask Jesus to give to you, Jesus will ask you to give away. Before you get, you will loose; before you to gain you will undergo pain.
Never tell Jesus that you don't know, when you do. Know that the first step to getting anything from Jesus is a simple one: Tell him the truth and behave based on that truth. It may make you quite unpopular; it may make you uncomfortable at times but it is the only way to get answers from Jesus. Telling Jesus the truth is a simple act, but one of the most courageous. It will set you free and on a path to a life that is absolutely unstoppable. Remember what Jesus said in John 8: 31-32: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
What truth are you afraid to admit? What are you really afraid will happen if you admit the truth? Whose approval are you so afraid of losing if you said the truth? Are you like the people in today's gospel reading, who said among themselves: “If we say, ‘From God,’” they said, “then he will ask why we didn’t believe what John said. And if we deny that God sent him, we’ll be mobbed, for the crowd all think he was a prophet.” So they finally replied, “We don’t know!”?
Truth awakens us from the deep slumber of lies. In pretending we don’t know, as these people in the gospel reading did, we live a lie. And we cannot live on lies forever.
And they answered Jesus and said, We cannot tell you. And he said unto them, Neither do I tell you.
They came to Jesus with a question; they wanted to know some truth about Jesus. They demanded to know by whose authority he had thrown out the temple merchants the day before. But before Jesus told them the answer, he demanded to know what they knew: I'll tell you if and when you tell me. Jesus said to them! And that is always the principle. For Jesus to tell us the truth, we must tell him first the truth.
Before you question Jesus get ready for Jesus' own question; before you ask Jesus, Jesus will ask you. For instance, before you ask forgiveness from Jesus, Jesus will ask you to forgive; before you ask Jesus to get, Jesus will ask you to give; before you ask Jesus to give to you, Jesus will ask you to give away. Before you get, you will loose; before you to gain you will undergo pain.
Never tell Jesus that you don't know, when you do. Know that the first step to getting anything from Jesus is a simple one: Tell him the truth and behave based on that truth. It may make you quite unpopular; it may make you uncomfortable at times but it is the only way to get answers from Jesus. Telling Jesus the truth is a simple act, but one of the most courageous. It will set you free and on a path to a life that is absolutely unstoppable. Remember what Jesus said in John 8: 31-32: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
What truth are you afraid to admit? What are you really afraid will happen if you admit the truth? Whose approval are you so afraid of losing if you said the truth? Are you like the people in today's gospel reading, who said among themselves: “If we say, ‘From God,’” they said, “then he will ask why we didn’t believe what John said. And if we deny that God sent him, we’ll be mobbed, for the crowd all think he was a prophet.” So they finally replied, “We don’t know!”?
Truth awakens us from the deep slumber of lies. In pretending we don’t know, as these people in the gospel reading did, we live a lie. And we cannot live on lies forever.
And they answered Jesus and said, We cannot tell you. And he said unto them, Neither do I tell you.
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