Word to the Wise
Saturday, May 29, 2010 - Saturday in the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
[Jude 17:20b-25 and Mark 11:27-33]By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority to do them?
A delegation of the highest authorities among the Jews in Jerusalem sends a delegation to Jesus. Earlier he had ridden into Jerusalem in triumph and there were crowds paying a lot of attention to whatever he said and did. One of the most dramatic things is his going into the temple and chasing out the vendors, etc. This called for an official reaction as one might imagine! It's not so different from our own reaction to something we consider outrageous. We ask, "Who gave this person the right to do this?" In the Gospel of Mark, the only way someone is going to understand what Jesus does is to have faith in him. Since the delegation does not show any faith, they cannot understand why Jesus goes into the temple to "purify" it. In point of fact, he plans to replace it with himself! That notion would be well beyond their capacity to understand, so he cannot tell them by what authority he did what he did! Despite some remarkable efforts to "study" Jesus on some kind of scientific or objective literary basis, the fact remains that he must be approached with faith if he is to be understood at all! Arms-length or "neutral" stances will leave one unsatisfied, although these approaches may be first steps toward faith. We cannot put God on trial, despite the efforts in front of Pilate! AMEN
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