The Authority of the Annointed One

When Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem, he was hailed as Great David's Greater Son, the blessed one who comes in the name of the Lord.  So in the Temple, when asked by the chief priests and elders, about his authority and where he got this authority, Jesus drew their attention to the Baptism of John.  A trap question to quiet them, to be sure, but more than that!  For it was at John's Baptism that God the Holy Spirit anointed God the Son, and the voice of God the Father echoed into creation "this is my son."  That was the locus of Jesus' authority.  But more still!  The chief priests had been on the banks of the Jordan when John was baptizing, but they preferred the lie about their own authority, a lie which had blinded them and which can indeed blind us even today about the authority of God and our need for his saving grace, a grace which leads to a life of transformed obedience.