December 15, 2025
Third Monday of Advent
Fr. Bernard Thilagarajah
Kingdoms rise in history and moment of glory and subdue peoples. The Assyrians seventh century B.C. then Babylonians, the famous Gate of Istar, the goddess of protection lasted little more than a century, so did the Persians, Alexander the Great, left only the traces of blood, ideologies, political parties, all wane.
Even those who joined the Kingdom of Jesus believed at a certain time influenced by the power of the world. Honors, power, wealth, politics. You want to change the world, win a Kingdom. The same as the devil proposes to Jesus. If you want to be someone listen to me. I will give you the glory of this world - think for yourself. If you don't listen to me you will be nobody.
Today's gospel describes the conflict Jesus had with the religious authorities of the time after he drove the sellers out of the Temple. The priests and elders of the people wanted to know by what authority Jesus did these things: entering the Temple and driving out the sellers (cf. Mt 21:12-13). The authorities considered themselves the masters of everything and thought that no one could do anything without their permission. Therefore, they persecuted Jesus and tried to kill him. Something similar was happening in the Christian communities of the 1970s-80s, the time when the gospel of Jesus was written. Those who resisted the authorities of the empire were being persecuted. There were others who, in order not to be persecuted, tried to reconcile Jesus' project with the project of the Roman Empire (cf. Gal 6:12). The description of Jesus' conflict with the authorities of his time was a help to Christians so that they would continue fearless in their persecutions and not be manipulated by the ideology of the empire. Even today, some who wield power, whether in society as well as in the church and family, want to control everything as if they were the masters of all aspects of people's lives. Sometimes they even go so far as to persecute those who think differently. With these thoughts and problems in mind, let us read and meditate on today's gospel.
To the religious authorities' question to Jesus, "By what authority do you do this? Who gave you this authority?" Jesus replies, "I will also ask you a question, and if you answer me, I will also tell you by what authority I do this. Where did John's baptism come from? From heaven or from men?"
Jesus' question to the authorities, Jesus does not deny himself to answer, but shows his independence and freedom and says, "I will also ask you a question and if you answer me, I will also tell you by what authority I do this. Where did John's baptism come from? From heaven or from men?" Clever question, simple as a dove and cunning as the serpent! (cf. Mt. 10:16). The question reveals the opponents' lack of honesty. For Jesus, John's baptism came from heaven, came from God. He himself had been baptized by John (Mt 3:13-17). The men of power, on the contrary, had plotted John's death (Mt14:3-12). And they showed, thus, that they did not accept John's message and regarded his baptism as a thing of men and not of God.
Authorities' reasoning: "If we answer that he came from heaven, he will say, So why did you not believe John? If we answer that he came from men, we fear the multitude, for they all think that John is a prophet." Therefore, in order not to expose themselves, they answer, "We don't know!" Opportunistic, false and self-interested answer. Their only interest was not to lose their power over the people. Inside, they had already decided everything: Jesus was to be sentenced to death (Mt 12:14).
Jesus' final conclusion: Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things." Their total lack of honesty makes them undeserving of Jesus' response.
