AUGUST 10 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#24 “Is the power and authority of baptism from heaven or from men?”” (Matthew 21:25)

AUGUST 10  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#24  “Is the power and authority of baptism from heaven or from men?””  (Matthew 21:25)

LIVING FOR JESUS Daily Prayer    

JESUS, my Lord and my Shepherd, my Redeemer and my Passover Lamb, You Lord are all things Good! Lord, even when I find myself going through one of the valleys  that my earthen vessel and its aging process takes me into, my mind is stayed with a single verse, “Be still and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10) for to “be still” in the valley of shadow is a statement our spirit makes saying “Yeah though I walk through the valley, I will fear no evil for You are with me…” and then the Peace-that-passes-all understanding surfaces and I give praise to God that even though my circumstances change that my God never changes, You are the God of heaven and earth, the God of the mountains and the God of the valleys, the God who has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. Lord I know that my faith only fails because I have not yet learned to surrender completely to Your Unchanging Will so Lord keep me centered in Your Will, Your Mercy, and Your Grace.   AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus really “walks the walk” in this section and all one has to do is look at the actions of the Sanhedrin and the actions of Jesus to determine who is following the Will of God and who is following the will of men. Jesus came to Bethphage, sent two disciples to retrieve a donkey reserved for the “LORD” and Matthew records: “All this was done that if might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet (Zechariah 9:9)…So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set [Jesus] on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road . Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out saying: ‘HOSANNA TO THE SON OF DAVID! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD! HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST!’ And when [Jesus] had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved…” (Matthew 21:4-10) This event is known as the Triumphal Entry to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the week before His Crucifixion! It is reasonable to pause at this point and take note that as Jesus “drew near to Jerusalem” that He was hailed by the multitudes that had been observing Him as “King” and “Son of David”. The multitudes proclaimed as Jesus made His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” —but the scene changes after Jesus enters Jerusalem and starts executing the duties of His God-given office of Messiah for when those in Jerusalem asked “Who is this?” (Matthew 21:10) that the “authorities” gave the “politically correct” answer, “This is the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” (Matthew 21:11)  Not because of the miracles the multitudes had observed Jesus doing was Jesus demoted from Messiah to just another prophet, but it was at the hands of the “ruling powers” in Jerusalem and specifically the “power authorities” such as the Sanhedrin, the scribes, and the Pharisees who were continually handing down their rules to “control” the multitudes ——— this “rule changing” becomes the crux of the problem Jesus addresses with  JQ#24 ——— Jesus asks these ruling authorities: where does “power and authority” really come from, “from heaven or from men”? (Matthew 21:25) Of significance here is the fact that regardless of what people said about Him or who He was, Jesus kept doing those things that only the Messiah would and could do, therefore it is not what men say about God that is important to our Eternal Security, it is what God Himself has done to secure our Eternal Security that has any bearing on our souls as they enter into Eternity!  But we must pray that we do not get trapped into “political correctness” that teaches that it is “political correctness” and the “Supreme” court of men that has “power and authority” and that whatever “politically correct men” say is “legal”. Therefore, the desires of men become the  “law of the land” which then becomes the “doctrines of men”. These “doctrines of men” is that which Jesus referred to in JQ#12 “Who decides what is legal, God or man?” (Matthew 12:1-21) Jesus had already warned us “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) Now Jesus is asking in essence “Who has the true power and authority to destroy both soul and body in hell, men or God?”  With less than a week left in His earthly ministry, Jesus is getting right to the point of the Passover and fulfilling all the prophecies concerning the Messiah. “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says…” (Revelation 2:7) Maybe its time that we “Listen To” and “Stand Up” for Jesus?!?!?!?