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23. By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?Matthew 21:23. The day before, Jesus chased the crooked merchants from the Temple. Now the religious leaders ask Him, "Who gave you this authority?" Jesus says, "Tell Me, John's baptism, was it from heaven, or from men?" The leaders will not admit it came from God, because Jesus will ask, "Why didn't you believe?" If they said it was man's invention, the leaders feared the people, because they thought John was a prophet from God. Now Jesus tells a story of two brothers whom the father asks to go work in the vineyard. The first says he will not, but later ends up working. The second says he will, but never shows up. Jesus asks the leaders which one did the will of the father; they said the first. Jesus tells them that crooked tax collectors and harlots will enter the kingdom of God, because they heard John's message, repented, and were baptized. But the leaders, who were waiting for the Messiah, would not recognize Jesus as He. And they heard John's message and would not repent or believe. If the religious leaders knew Christ's true identity, they would have known by what authority He had, to do His mission. Amen.