“Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” (Matthew 21:27)

“Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” (Matthew 21:27)

In my youth, I never could figure out or understand the reasoning behind the exchange that takes place between the elders of the Temple and Christ in today’s gospel lesson (Matthew 21:23-27). When the chief priests ask Jesus, by whose authority He works these miracles, Jesus responds with a question of His own; a clever question aimed at tripping them up and revealing the true nature of these prideful priests.

Jesus certainly could have answered the question posed to Him, but the chief priests and elders were not yet ready to hear that answer. Therefore, answering them with a question of His own was somewhat akin to Jesus saying, “You can’t handle the truth!”

Fr. John