Nm. 24:2-7,15-17a/Ps.25:4-5ab,6/Mt.21:23-27

Today, the Word of God invites us to reflect deeply on authority, where it comes from, how it is exercised, and what it is meant to achieve in God’s saving plan.

In the first reading, we hear one of the most striking prophecies about the coming Messiah:

“A star from Jacob takes the leadership; a sceptre arises from Israel.”

In the ancient world, a sceptre was the visible sign of royal authority-power, sovereignty, and command. This prophecy announces a ruler chosen and anointed by God, one whose authority would shape the destiny of God’s people.

Advent helps us recognize that this prophecy finds its fulfillment not in a political king or military leader, but in Jesus Christ.

Today’s Gospel is set in the aftermath of Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple, when he overturned the tables of the money changers and the stools of those who sold pigeons, challenging practices that had distorted the true purpose of God’s house.

His actions provoke the religious authorities, who challenge him:

“What authority have you for acting like this, and who gave you this authority?”

Their question goes to the heart of the matter.

Authority was something carefully guarded, inherited, or officially conferred. Yet Jesus does not fit their categories.

We know the answer that they could not accept:

Jesus acts with the authority of God his Father. The Temple is his Father’s house, and as the Son, he has the right and the responsibility to act within it. His cleansing of the Temple is not an act of anger or domination; it is a prophetic and symbolic action.

Jesus is revealing that the Temple, meant to be a place of prayer, had drifted away from God’s will. His authority is exercised to restore, to purify, and to realign God’s people with God’s purpose.

This is where the Advent message becomes especially powerful. The sceptre promised in the first reading does not crush or dominate; it serves. Jesus’ authority is not about control but about obedience to the Father and love for God’s people.

He comes to set right what is wrong, to bring God’s kingdom, a kingdom of justice, love, and peace into the heart of the world.This understanding of authority reaches its fullest expression at the Last Supper.

Jesus, fully aware that he is Lord and Master, kneels to wash the feet of his disciples. In doing what was considered the work of a servant, even a slave, he redefines authority forever. In his kingdom, authority is shown not by how many people one commands, but by how deeply one serves.

As we journey through Advent, preparing our hearts for the coming of Christ, we are reminded that the risen Lord continues to exercise his authority today, quietly, persistently, and lovingly–through service. Even more striking is that he shares this authority with us.

Through our baptism, we are entrusted with a share in his mission. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are called to serve as he served: to put right what is wrong, to bring life where there is death, light where there is darkness, truth where there is falsehood, and justice where it is denied.

On this Monday of the Third Week of Advent, the Lord asks us not simply to recognize his authority, but to imitate it.

As we await the coming of the King, may we allow his example to shape our lives, so that his kingdom may already begin to take root in us and through us.