There was a man in the synagogue who had the spirit of an evil demon in him; he screamed out in a loud voice, "Ah! What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Are You here to destroy us? I know Who You are: You are God's holy messenger!"

   Jesus commanded the spirit, "Be quiet, and come out of the man!"

   The demon threw the man down in front of them and went out of him without doing him any harm. They were all amazed, and said to one another; "What kind of words are these? With authority and power this Man gives orders to the evil spirits, and they come out!" And the report about Jesus spread everywhere in that region. Jesus went to the temple. While He was teaching there, the leading priests and the older leaders of the people came to Jesus. They said to Him, "Tell us! What authority do You have to do these things? Who gave You this authority?"

   Jesus answered, "I will ask you a question, too. If you answer Me, then I will tell you what authority I have to do these things. Tell me: When John baptized people, did that come from God or from man?" The priests and the leaders argued about Jesus' question. They said to each other, "If we answer, 'John's baptism was from God,' then Jesus will say, 'Then why didn't you believe John?' But if we say, 'It was from man,' we are afraid of what the people will do because they all believe that John was a prophet."

   So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." Then Jesus said, "Then I won't tell you what authority I have to do these things!"

   [Another time, Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath. This made the Jewish authorities angry.] So Jesus answered them, "I tell you the truth: the Son does nothing on His own; He does only what He sees His Father doing. What the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He Himself is doing. He will show Him even greater things than this to do, and you will all be amazed. Even as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, in the same way the Son gives life to those He wants to. Nor does the Father Himself judge anyone. He has given His Son the full right to judge, so that all will honor the Son in the same way as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father Who sent Him."

Taken from Lk. 4, Mt. 21, Jn. 5, Today's English Version and The Everyday Bible.
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