Day Five Mark 11:27-33
27 Again they entered Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking through the Temple area, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 28 They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right to do them?”
29 “I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied. 30 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human? Answer me!”
31 They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. 32 But do we dare say it was merely human?” For they were afraid of what the people would do, because everyone believed that John was a prophet. 33 So they finally replied, “We don’t know.”
And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Discover
1. Who questions Jesus? Where and about what?
2. How does Jesus’ return question expose the motive of the religious leaders?
3. Who do you sense has true authority after this exchange?
Respond
As the hearts of the Jewish religious leaders only grow more hardened toward Jesus, the heart of Jesus toward them only grows more disappointed and weary. A hard heart is dangerous for many reasons, the main one being we miss the authority and leadership of Jesus in our lives. Spend some time with God now, examining your own heart. Use these words from Psalm 139 for help if you want. Has it grown hard toward anyone or anything? Tell God you don’t want to miss the blessing of His authority in your life due to a hardened heart.
For Further Reading: 7 Powerful Warning Signs of a Hardened Heart
*TPCC does not necessarily endorse all For Further Reading/Learning sources. They are simply meant to be a helpful tool.