The Authority of Jesus Questioned

The texts of the Roman Catholic lectionary today bring the challenges of dual thinking into consideration. The religious authorities in the excerpt from Matthew’s Gospel attempt to force Jesus to declare the source of His authority. He positions them in the tough position of choosing between two extreme positions. The strategy is often proposed to ‘solve problems”. The example of the Gospel shows that dual thinking often leads to no solution. Franciscan theologian Richard Rohr explores this method in his recent book “The Naked Now”.