The Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and Illustrious Apostle Peter
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James 4:7-5:9; Mark 11:27-33
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
Jesus’ authority is a theme that runs through all the gospels. When he finishes the Sermon on the Mount, the people are amazed by his teaching authority; when he heals, he does so on his own authority, without invoking the name of God or some other miracle worker; when he calms the storm, his disciples see that he has authority over creation; he drove the money changers out of the temple, even though he had no official authority to do so; and when he forgives sins, he does so on his own authority. All of this creates a crisis for anyone who came into contact with Jesus. Was he a madman? His words, and the miracles that followed, would suggest otherwise. Was he in league with the devil, such that his behaviour hid an agenda that was actually opposed to God? Again, the evidence doesn’t support such a conclusion. But the temple authorities still weren’t convinced, so they probed him for a direct answer – “By what authority do you do these things?”
Jesus’ answer is a clever tactic to avoid confrontation. But it also reveals something about the response of faith he asks from anyone who would be his disciple. Jesus almost always testifies to his own identity, the source of his authority, by his actions, rather than by his words. At a certain point, we must make a decision. Do we believe, based on what we’ve seen and heard, that Jesus is the Messiah? Does he really have the words of life? And do our actions bear equal testimony to who he is?