3rd week of Advent, Monday – 16th December 2019 — Gospel: Mt 21,23-27
Negligence to authority and truth
The religious leaders opposed Jesus and rejected his divine authority, because they were more concerned with entrapping Jesus than to learn the truth. Their lack of openness is why Jesus did not directly answer their question. He basically asked them, “Are you willing to acknowledge the hand of God in John’s Baptism and in my ministries?” If they accepted John’s work as divine, they would be compelled to accept Jesus as the Messiah. They deliberately avoided the question because they were unwilling to face the truth. Since they have not opted for John the Baptist, they have not opted for Jesus the Messiah. Jesus is the truth incarnate, and so there can be no compromise with Jesus’ authority. To know and to understand this truth there should be openness. When we do not want to know or do not want to say, we carefully use “I do not know” as an evasive response. However, factual knowledge demands a truthful response.
