A Question about Jesus’ Authority
Jesus had gone into the temple and was teaching when the chief priests and the leaders of the people came up to him. They asked, “What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?”
Jesus answered, “I have just one question to ask you. If you answer it, I will tell you where I got the right to do these things. Who gave John the right to baptize? Was it God in heaven or merely some human being?”
They thought it over and said to each other, “We can’t say that God gave John this right. Jesus will ask us why we didn’t believe John. On the other hand, these people think that John was a prophet, and we are afraid of what they might do to us. That’s why we can’t say that it was merely some human who gave John the right to baptize.” So they told Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Jesus said, “Then I won’t tell you who gave me the right to do what I do.”
Matthew 21:23-27
Why did these men need to know where Jesus got his authority from? It seems to me they just couldn’t fit him into the hierarchical structure they were used to. They knew where their authority came from. It came from an established system of chief priest, priest and acolyte, teacher and student, leader and follower. But to their bemusement, Jesus refuses to buy into the ‘up-down’ pecking order of authority.
Questions I’d ask Jesus
So how did you discern your call? With whom did you tease out the challenge of being true to your God-given responsibility to live and proclaim the reign of God? Was it really a private matter between you and God? Or were there others with whom you confided and from whom you gained confidence to speak on behalf of God? Your parents? Your friends? Your disciples?
And what about John? Was his call to baptise something sorted out between him and God alone? Or was there a community of baptism who moved with him?
Am I missing the point by seeing your life through the lens of ‘discerned call’?