20241216 BY WHOSE AUTHORITY?
First reading |
Numbers 24:2-7,15-17 |
The oracles of Balaam
Raising his eyes Balaam saw Israel, encamped by tribes; the spirit of God came on him and he declaimed his poem. He said:
‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man with far-seeing eyes,
the oracle of one who hears the word of God.
He sees what Shaddai makes him see,
receives the divine answer, and his eyes are opened.
How fair are your tents, O Jacob!
How fair your dwellings, Israel!
Like valleys that stretch afar,
like gardens by the banks of a river,
like aloes planted by the Lord,
like cedars beside the waters!
A hero arises from their stock,
he reigns over countless peoples.
His king is greater than Agag,
his majesty is exalted.’
Then Balaam declaimed his poem again. He said:
‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man with far-seeing eyes,
the oracle of one who hears the word of God,
of one who knows the knowledge of the Most High.
He sees what Shaddai makes him see,
receives the divine answer, and his eyes are opened.
I see him – but not in the present,
I behold him – but not close at hand:
a star from Jacob takes the leadership,
a sceptre arises from Israel.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 24(25):4-6,7a-9 |
Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:
for you are God my saviour.
Lord, make me know your ways.
In you I hope all day long
because of your goodness, O Lord.
Remember your mercy, Lord,
and the love you have shown from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth.
In your love remember me.
Lord, make me know your ways.
The Lord is good and upright.
He shows the path to those who stray,
He guides the humble in the right path,
He teaches his way to the poor.
Lord, make me know your ways.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord will come, go out to meet him.
Great is his beginning and his reign will have no end.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ps84:8 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy
and give us your saving help.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 21:23-27 |
'I will not tell you my authority for acting like this'
Jesus had gone into the Temple and was teaching, when the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him and said, ‘What authority have you for acting like this? And who gave you this authority?’ ‘And I’ replied Jesus ‘will ask you a question, only one; if you tell me the answer to it, I will then tell you my authority for acting like this. John’s baptism: where did it come from: heaven or man?’ And they argued it out this way among themselves, ‘If we say from heaven, he will retort, “Then why did you refuse to believe him?”; but if we say from man, we have the people to fear, for they all hold that John was a prophet.’ So their reply to Jesus was, ‘We do not know.’ And he retorted, ‘Nor will I tell you my authority for acting like this.’
16 December 2024, Monday, 3rd Week in Advent
BY WHOSE AUTHORITY?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [NUM 24:2-7, 15-17; PS25:4-6, 7-9; MT 21:23-27]
The question of authority is an important means of verifying the truth of what is said and the legality of the person’s actions. Therefore, it should not be surprising that in the gospel the chief priests and the elders of the people asked Jesus, “What authority have you for acting like this? And who gave you this authority?” The context of this query arose from what Jesus did earlier on when He drove out the merchants and moneychangers from the Temple. “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you make it a den of robbers.” (cf Mt 21:12f) For the religious leaders, their authority was threatened by Jesus’ implicit claims to divine authority. Earlier on, the people welcomed Him as their Messiah by spreading garments and branches of leaves on the road shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest.’ (Mt 21:9f)
Clearly, Jesus’ authority came from God. In the first reading, the prophet Balaam prophesied “a star from Jacob takes the leadership, a sceptre arises from Israel.” This would happen not in the near future. “I see him – but not in the present, I behold him – but not at close hand.’ Even a pagan prophet acknowledged the divine authority of Christ. He said: “The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man with far-seeing eyes, the oracle of the one who hears the word of God, of one who knows the knowledge of the Most High. He sees what Shaddai makes him see, receives the divine answer, and his eyes are opened.”
It is significant that Jesus justified His authority not with presumptuous claims but with actions. Hence, Jesus said to them, “And I will ask you a question, only one; if you tell me the answer to it, I will then tell you my authority for acting like this. John’s baptism: where did it come from: heaven or man?” The truth is that John the Baptist was seen as a prophet by the people because of his life of integrity. He preached the message of repentance not just by his word but also by his actions and lifestyle. He lived a life of penance in the desert. He listened to the Word of God and meditated on it before he preached it. The Jewish leaders knew that. He too had no “academic” authority like Jesus as well, compared to the scribes. However, his lifestyle and words were his credentials.
The truth is not whether Jesus had authority to do what He did but that they could not accept Him because of their vested interests in the same way they rejected John. We read, “they argued it out this way among themselves, ‘If we say from heaven, he will retort, “Then why did you refuse to believe him?”, but if we say from man, we have the people to fear, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” The authority of Jesus rested in the truth of what He taught but most of all by His actions. When John the Baptist sent his messengers to ask Jesus, “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” (Mt 11:3-5) And in John’s gospel, Jesus reiterated this when He said, “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves.” (Jn 14:10f) To the Jews who took up stones to stone Him, Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of these do you stone me? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” (Jn 10:32, 37f)
Unfortunately for those who close their hearts like the Pharisees, they will not be able to receive the truth. When our hearts are evil and when we want to have things our own way, we will close ourselves to the truth. Many of us, because of our pride and self-will, will not listen to others. Instead of trying to understand the truth of what is said, we rebel against it. It is important that we are open to the criticisms of others even if they are not pleasant to our ears. But it also does not mean that we need to believe every criticism that is directed at us. It is better for us to sift out what is good and true from those that are based on prejudice and a lack of information.
Jesus advises us not to be too worried about such people when they refuse to accept us. When they are ready, the master will appear. When they replied to Jesus, “We do not know”, Jesus retorted, “Nor will I tell you my authority for acting like this.” Since these people were not open to reason and the truth, Jesus knew that no matter what He said, it would be rejected. Hence, as He also once taught, “Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.” (Mt 7:6) Jesus did not spend much time arguing with them or explaining to them. Since they could not accept His words and refused to acknowledge His works, He could not do much.
Indeed, the tragedy and greatness of man is his freewill. God has given us the free will to accept Him or reject Him. He does not force us but leaves us free to accept or reject Him. Those who reject Him will be the losers in the end. We will only suffer the consequences of choosing Satan, the world and the flesh rather than God Himself. We think riches, power and glory are everything. They cannot bring us happiness but we do not believe. We spend our whole life struggling and pursuing such illusions only to realize when we find them, that all such goals in life are futile.
Hence we must, like the Psalmist, pray that we will know His ways and walk in His path. “Lord, make me know your ways. Lord, teach me your paths. Make me walk in your truth, and teach me: for you are God my saviour. The Lord is good and upright. He shows the path to those who stray. He guides the humble in the right path, He teaches his way to the poor.” Only by walking in the way of the Lord, can we find life. If we trust in His ways and submit to His authority, we will find true happiness in life. We will be like Israel as the Prophet Balaam prophesied, “How fair are your tents, O Jacob! How fair your dwellings, Israel! Like valleys that stretch afar, like gardens by the banks of a river, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters! A hero arises from their stock, he reigns over countless peoples. His king is greater than Agag, his majesty is exalted.” Only by submitting to God’s ways, can we come to realize His wisdom and the truth of what He is teaching us. We must yield to the Spirit of truth because Jesus is the incarnate Word of God.
Indeed, we must follow the example of Balaam who obeyed God. He was a pagan prophet, or rather a pagan sorcerer. He was more concerned with riches and wealth. He was a greedy man who used his talents for his own selfish needs. (cf. Num 31:16) When he was asked by Balak, the King of the Moabites to use sorcery to defeat Israel, since he could not do it by using military might, Balaam agreed to put a curse on Israel, but every time he tried, God hindered him from doing so (Num 22). Instead, he ended up by blessing Israel, as we read in the first reading (Num 23). Although not a good man, Balaam understood who the King was. He obeyed and blessed Israel, warned Balak that a great king would appear in Israel.
As for those who continue to oppose us, let us through our good works win them over one day. We must persevere, especially if there are non-Catholics at home or in our offices who are sceptical of our faith. We must, like Jesus, continue to do good, love them, accept them, show our patience, overcoming evil with good, hatred with love. Eventually, even if they cannot believe in what we believe about Jesus, our love will open their hearts to God’s grace.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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