Matthew 21:23 When He had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?”

It is a question that has been posed for two thousand years.  By what authority did Jesus do all that He did? Was Jesus more than a teacher, or a magician, or a charismatic leader? Is Christianity from God or is it just another man-made religion?  These questions were more than innocent questions by religious leaders.  They were questions of the very center of belief in God.  Religious leaders ask.  Elders ask. Leaders ask.  You may well ask. Yet all their asking was because of unbelief. The very nature of their asking was unbelief.  It is their unbelief questioning an omnipotent and all powerful God. Their question was can God make a difference in the world.  Any acknowledgement of the authority of Jesus diminishes all others. The effort to accept God’s authority over all other, starts with the asking.  Let us not let unbelief and opinions of others to be our authority.  It is quite acceptable to ask, as long as you accept the answer that Jesus is Lord.