Sitting on the fence
by Norma Koehne
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‘By what authority are you doing these things?’ (Matthew 21:23).
‘Sitting on the fence’ has always seemed to me to be a very uncomfortable place, especially with the barbed wire fences we have here in Australia! But this is exactly what the chief priests and elders were doing. They were not willing to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God, even after his triumphant entry into Jerusalem earlier in this chapter, his authoritative cleansing of the temple, which he referred to as ‘my house’ (verse 13), and his subsequent miracles as ‘the blind and the lame came to him … and he healed them’ (verse 14). The question, ‘By what authority are you doing these things?’ was meant to trick him into declaring that his authority came from God, so they could call him a blasphemer.
Rather than answering them, Jesus challenged them with a question, ‘John’s baptism – where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?’ One can almost picture the scene as they go back and forward trying to decide the answer, thinking of how it would look in the eyes of men, rather than looking for the truth. In the end, they opted for, ‘We don’t know’. The subsequent parable points to the sad truth that those sitting on the fence would miss out, but thankfully many who did not yet know the truth would be led by the Holy Spirit through repentance and faith into the kingdom.
Let us be bold to confess the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, revealed to us through Scripture, and that he has the authority to make us his children through baptism, forgive our sins, and bring us to be with him in heaven.
Father, forgive me for the times when I sat on the fence and was afraid to boldly declare your truth. Strengthen me through the Holy Spirit to acknowledge your authority, power, love, and mercy. Amen.
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