2 Sons

Respecting authority was drilled into my head as a child. I was given the freedom by my parents to complain about certain of those in authority over me. They let me gripe about the coach who did not let me play, the teacher who picked on me, the nerdy youth pastor, the friend who betrayed me in some way, my siblings who agitated me (although admittedly I was KING when it came to agitating others), and while they seldom agreed with my analysis, they always came back to the simple standard that I was to show respect for authority. It was ok to not like how things went, but respect was not optional. This week we take a look at Jesus discussion with the religious leaders. They do not believe that He has the authority to do what He is doing. They are openly challenging his authority. They are doing this for at least a couple of reasons: 1. His actions are hurting their cash flow, and 2. If He continues to do this, the people will begin to ignore them and they will lose their political clout.