Mark 11:27-33- God sees my heart clearly

Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.

 

And they said to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?”

  

But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:

  

The baptism of John – was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.

 

And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

 

But if we say, ‘From men’ – they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.

 

So they answered and said to Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus answered and said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

God doesn't need a magnifying class to see my heart
photo by  Rafael Anderson Gonzales Mendoza
used under the creative commons license. check out more photos at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andercismo/

Jesus was asked a question: "What gives You the right to clear out the temple and end our money making project?" Well, the truth is, Jesus had every right to clear the temple because, after all, it is His house.  Being God, all the worship being offered in the temple, all the prayers being uttered, all the service and promises being rendered, were to Him.  But Jesus didn't answer directly.  Instead, He shrewdly turned it around so He wouldn't have to answer.  Why? Probably because the timing wasn't right to be seized and arrested which, an honest answer on His part, would have resulted in.

But notice how Jesus' shrewd answer exposed the hypocrisy of His detractors.  An honest answer from Jesus would have resulted in His arrest. An honest answer from the religious leaders would have exposed their lack of true religion.  The leaders did not recognize John as a prophet of God but the people did and would have stoned or ousted the religious leaders had their true views been exposed.  Jesus knew all of that and used it to His advantage. After all, Jesus knew the time for His Passion should be the Passover.

Jesus knew the hearts of the religious leaders. He also knows my heart. It is best not to be hypocritical as the  Chief Priest and Scribes were. (They were hypocritical because as religious leaders they really had no interest in God) Rather, it is better to recognize the work of God when it is plainly in my face. This requires that I keep open to His Spirit and remain humble of heart. Grant me a humble spirit, O Lord, to see the work of God in my life. Amen.