DEVOTION BY T.J. ZUBER
Luke 20 is a staggering bit of scripture where we are presented with yet another instance where Jesus is challenged by the pharisees. This time, however, they were seeking real proof of who he was. They asked him where his authority came from, and in a move that truly shocks us all, Jesus didn’t point to prophecy or even to the Father. He instead pointed to his dearly departed cousin, John the Baptist.
By posing the question of where the authority of John’s baptism came from, Jesus presented the pharisees with a moral quandary of their own making: the people believed John the Baptist was a prophet, so if they said his authority was not from heaven, then they feared the people would retaliate.
Alongside this, John was the one who pointed at Jesus and said “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” The pharisees decided the best move was to say that they didn’t know where John’s baptism came from.
JOHN 1:29
Luke 20 is a staggering bit of scripture where we are presented with yet another instance where Jesus is challenged by the pharisees. This time, however, they were seeking real proof of who he was. They asked him where his authority came from, and in a move that truly shocks us all, Jesus didn’t point to prophecy or even to the Father. He instead pointed to his dearly departed cousin, John the Baptist.
By posing the question of where the authority of John’s baptism came from, Jesus presented the pharisees with a moral quandary of their own making: the people believed John the Baptist was a prophet, so if they said his authority was not from heaven, then they feared the people would retaliate.
Alongside this, John was the one who pointed at Jesus and said “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” The pharisees decided the best move was to say that they didn’t know where John’s baptism came from.
JOHN 1:29
Once again, Jesus hits us with yet another unexpected response: a parable calling out the very people he is talking to as murderers and freeloaders! The end of this parable depicts the owner of a vineyard returning to reclaim his property and punishing those who overtook it, which is exactly what God promises us when Jesus returns to rid the world of evil.