In Matthew 21, Jesus had just cleansed the temple—overturning the tables of money changers and driving out those who exploited worshippers for profit. The religious leaders were shaken by His boldness and authority. They confronted Him, asking, “By what authority doest thou these things? And who gave thee this authority?” (v. 23). Their question revealed not a genuine desire for truth, but a heart resistant to the authority of God. They had their systems, their traditions, their religious structures—but Jesus spoke and acted with the authority of heaven itself.
That conflict continues today. Religion often looks like outward systems of belief, tradition, and ritual. But Jesus was not offering a new system—He was offering Himself. In John 10, He declared, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.” Religion tries to bind man to God through works and effort, but the Gospel shows us God reaching down to us in Christ. He alone has the right to open the way into God’s presence. He alone can save, forgive, and give abundant life. The question for us is not “Who gave Jesus authority?” but rather, “Will I submit to His authority in my life and enter through the Door?”