By whose authority are you doing it?

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!

The chief priests and other Jewish leaders came up to Jesus and demanded to know by whose authority he had thrown out the merchants the day before. These people were, in other words, asking Jesus why he was doing what he was doing; who authorized Jesus to act as he did.

If anyone asked you, Who authorized you to do what you are doing or by whose authority are doing what you are doing, what would you reply? We need to know what is behind all we do; what empowers us; what is the reason we are here and not in any other place, other family, other employment, other church, other country, or other world?

We are here on earth, doing what we are doing because we believe that that's what God wills for us. We don't live to make money; this is too little. We live to make a living for ourselves and a living for many other people. We are where we are in order to serve God's people. As we serve God's people, through our services, we also get the money.  Money is a by product. We are where we are in order to serve God's people. As we serve God's people, through our services, we also get the money.

When a client / customer enters the shop, or moves into our office s/he does not begin by pulling out the money; they begin by expressing their need in form of some service or product, which we have or not. When we say we have it or can do it, then we speak of money; money is always a by-product. This means that we get the money thanks to the product we have or service we have rendered, or thanks to the services we provide in terms of our skills and talents.

All this to say, that if someone asked us, by whose authority are we doing what we do, are here on this earth, etc, the answer is that is by the authority of the Lord. It is the Lord, who empowered and empowers us with skills and talents and means necessary to serve others; that is the ultimate reason for what we are and do. This is what 1Peter 4:10-11 exhorts us to do:

"God has given each one some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings. Are you called to preach? Then preach as though God himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies so that God will be glorified through Jesus Christ — to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen."