As Jesus was walking in the temple, the religious leaders, such as the chief priests, scribes, and the elders, came to Him and asked, "By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?" The authority they were referring to was the things that Jesus had done in the temple. He cleansed the temple from the merchants who were selling animal sacrifices and money changers in the temple. Jesus taught the gospel and rebuked the hypocrisies of religious leaders. The people were amazed by Jesus' teaching and the miracles that He had done, but the religious leaders refused to believe in Him. Since Jesus never went to religious schools and was not educated like the religious leaders, they tried to discredit His authority. According to the religious leaders, Jesus did not have any right to do what He did in the temple because He wasn't one of them. He was just a carpenter from Galilee. However, they did not realize that Jesus was God who came to save them from their sins. (Mark 11:27-33).
Although Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies in the Old Testament regarding being the Savior, they refused to believe in Him and tried to discredit His authority. The lesson for us today is whether we are questioning Jesus' authority in our lives. Jesus has full authority in our lives because He is our Lord and Savior. He has the right to tell us how we should live. He has the right to tell us where we should go. His authority in our lives is not meant to boss us around. It is meant to guide us in the right direction and not live in sin.
Today, let us listen to the authority of our Lord Jesus in our lives. Let us pursue Him in everything that we do. Let us not put God aside and do our own thing, but let us put God first and submit to His authority.
Ask yourself these questions: Am I submitting to the authority of God in my life? Is there anything in my life that I need to surrender in order for me to submit completely to the authority of God today? What is the benefit of submitting to God's authority?
Write down all the worries you are facing today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, You are my Lord and Savior, and please forgive me if I have not been submitting to your authority. Please continue to change my heart and keep me ever close to You. Do not let my heart wander and disregard your authority, for I need you in my life. In your name Jesus, I pray. Amen.