Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost; 1 October 2023; Proper 21A (RCL); Exodus 17:-7; Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16; Philippians 2:1-13; Matthew 21:23-32.
Matthew puts two sayings or teachings of Jesus together that on first sight don’t have a lot to do with each other. The first is the controversy exchange with the religious authorities. It’s important to remember that the “these things” about which the authorities are questioning him include driving out the merchants of animals and tipping over the tables of the money changers, although the lectionary leaps over this incident. So, the place of the Temple is in view in this exchange.
Continue reading “By what authority?”