Monday 13 Dec 2021

December 13: Matthew 21:23-27

Key Verse: Matthew 21:25
John’s baptism – where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?’ They discussed it among themselves and said, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will ask, “Then why didn’t you believe him?”

Devotion:
It seems like the more the keepers of the law tried to trip Jesus up, the more rope He gave them to hang themselves with! Jesus had the authority to put down anything they said and to back it up with something straight from God – but He chose to allow them to trip themselves up. The teachers did not like what Jesus was doing because it undermined their authority they had built up for themselves.

What God wants is for us to have authority when it is given to us from Him and not the DIY, home-grown variety we so like to peddle as the real thing. We can look back at these words and dissect them, bringing the truth out for everyone to see and hear – but in those times, these were the people everyone should have been able to trust and they were bending the truth! How then are we supposed to find out what is true?

Jesus gave us the answer to this by pointing us back to God’s Word in all cases. We have been given the truth and that truth will not change. What people say, what we learn in school and what scientists say are the latest facts will all change over time; but God’s Word does not change!

What John was teaching was the truth given to Him by God. He upheld the gospel because that is what God wanted Him to do. He could only baptise with water, but Jesus was come to baptise with the Holy Spirit. What John was teaching was the basics of believing in Christ and upholding the truth God gives us. What Jesus was doing was laying the foundation for us to see He was the Messiah!

Points to Ponder:
When someone asks you to start teaching them, where do you start?

Will you uphold the Scriptures and allow people to see the truth for themselves?