Authority

And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.


“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him. Matthew 21:23-32

The Creator's Authority

Go out and look up
the words came clear
rising from my bed
foolish and alone
I ventured outside.

The shooting star sung
a sweet distant night song
watching she disappeared
shivering and silent
I followed her shadow.

The Creator calls in the night
to beloved scared children
with feet of frozen clay
who hold their broken hearts
and cry for healing in the dark.

When light is missing we see
clearly the painter's hand
the stokes of love and passion
across the night's sky
and feel the mending beginning.

From the depth of my soul
I cry out to my maker
and the answer is always love
the answer is always love.