“On whose authority?” That’s what the chief priests and elders demand Jesus answer. In today’s reading, the temple authorities basically say, “Who the heck do you think you are coming in here and causing such a ruckus? You have no right to do this!”

Their question is, in fact, an important one. In what way is Jesus an authority? 

Did he think long and hard about what makes for a good life when he was in the desert? Is his authority that of a smart guy who did a lot of deep thinking?      

Does his authority come from the fact that generations of people have found peace by following his teachings? Is his authority the same sort of authority we find in “best practices” and in the “tried and true?” 

Where does his authority come from?