Credentials

Luke 20:1-8 (The Message)

1-2 One day he was teaching the people in the Temple, proclaiming the Message.

The high priests, religion scholars, and leaders confronted him and demanded, "Show us your credentials. Who authorized you to speak and act like this?"

3-4 Jesus answered, "First, let me ask you a question: About the baptism of John—who authorized it, heaven or humans?"

5-7 They were on the spot, and knew it.

They pulled back into a huddle and whispered, "If we say 'heaven,' he'll ask us why we didn't believe him; if we say 'humans,' the people will tear us limb from limb, convinced as they are that John was God's prophet."

They agreed to concede that round to Jesus and said they didn't know.

8 Jesus said, "Then neither will I answer your question."

Have you ever tried to "trap" God?

Probably. Truthfully, I think almost all of us have...in fact, we probably do it pretty often.

We ask God why things aren't the way that we think they should be. We go passive aggressive..."if you really loved me, then..."

Maybe sometimes, especially when we encounter a scripture that pushes us...a sermon that makes us uncomfortable...a person or a situation that defies easy explanation...we find ourselves trying to set a "trap" for the almighty.

Even as I write those words, the foolishness of the idea is striking. But, foolishness has never stopped us. Sometimes we humans just have a penchant for the foolish.

What about the religious leaders in this scripture? They've been trying to trap Jesus for several chapters, but this time they just outright confront him.

"Show us your credentials!"

I guess they wanted Jesus to produce a certificate that had been stamped by the proper authorities.

He had something better than a card. Asking them a simple and legitimate question, the trappers found themselves trapped.

That's what happens when we fight with the divine...when we confront the all-knowing...we we try to trap the untrappable...we we question the credentials of the ultimate authority.

We're left speechless.

So, maybe some quiet time would do us all good every now and then.

Prayer: We ask for the gift of quiet today. Help us to be still. To sit in the presence of your authority.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.