Tuesday Read: Holy Tuesday - Authority Questioned
On Tuesday of Holy Week, religious leaders confronted Jesus in the temple: "By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you authority to do this?" (Mark 11:28). Valid question, considering Jesus had just cleansed the temple, cursed a fig tree, and was teaching daily as if he had official authorization. His response was brilliantly evasive: "I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John's baptism - was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!" (Mark 11:29-30).
This trapped them perfectly. If they said John's baptism was from heaven, Jesus would ask why they didn't believe John (who testified about Jesus). If they said it was human origin, the crowd would turn against them because everyone believed John was a prophet. So they answered, "We don't know" (Mark 11:33). Jesus replied, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."
The exchange reveals the real issue: they didn't want information; they wanted ammunition for accusation. They weren't genuinely asking about Jesus's authority; they were looking for grounds to arrest him. Jesus refused to play their game because honest questions deserve honest answers, but dishonest questions deserve clever evasion.
Tuesday of Holy Week was Jesus's longest day of public teaching. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all devote significant space to this day's events - parables told, questions answered, confrontations with various religious groups. The Pharisees asked about paying taxes to Caesar (trying to trap him politically). The Sadducees posed an absurd scenario about resurrection (trying to make him look foolish). A lawyer asked about the greatest commandment (testing his orthodoxy).
Jesus masterfully answered every challenge. To the tax question: "Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's" (Mark 12:17). To the resurrection question: "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?" (Mark 12:24). To the greatest commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" and "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:30-31).
Then Jesus went on offense, asking the Pharisees whose son the Messiah is. When they answered "David's," he quoted Psalm 110:1 - "The Lord said to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.'" If David calls the Messiah "Lord," how can the Messiah be merely David's son? (Mark 12:35-37). This question implied his divine identity - the Messiah is both David's descendant (human) and David's Lord (divine). They had no answer.
The day ended with Jesus's devastating critique of the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23 - seven "woes" pronounced on their hypocrisy. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to" (Matthew 23:13). This wasn't gentle correction; it was prophetic denunciation.
Tuesday also contained Jesus's teaching about the widow's offering. While rich people threw large amounts into the temple treasury, a poor widow gave two small copper coins - everything she had. Jesus told his disciples: "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on" (Mark 12:43-44).
The contrast is stark: religious leaders question Jesus's authority while protecting their own, give impressive amounts while keeping most for themselves, maintain external righteousness while neglecting internal transformation. Meanwhile, a powerless widow gives everything in trust that God will provide. Tuesday of Holy Week reveals who actually has authority - not those who claim it through position but the One who demonstrates it through character and costly love.
This challenges how you think about spiritual authority. It's not found in titles, positions, or institutional power. It's demonstrated through sacrificial love, truth spoken with courage, and willingness to give everything in service of God's kingdom. The religious establishment questioned Jesus's authority while he was literally the Authority incarnate. They had credentials; he had character. They had position; he had power. They had tradition; he had truth.
Where are you seeking authority - in external credentials or internal character? Are you questioning God's authority while protecting your own? Are you giving out of abundance while withholding from God what costs you significantly? Holy Tuesday exposes the difference between those who claim authority and those who carry it. Tomorrow is Wednesday - the silent day when Judas finalizes his betrayal. Then comes Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. Holy Week is racing toward its climax.
