Motivation is a really important thing. Not the kind of motivation that gets you to the gym or helps you stay productive but rather the reasons that underpin our actions. Jesus is King of discerning the motivation of others. Consistently in the Gospels Jesus heals those with strong faith and rebukes those who are self-oriented. He does so with beautiful skill and respect.
Jesus's interaction with the chief priests and the elders in today's Gospel is an example of this. The chief priests and the elders approach Jesus asking, "By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?" Following this kind of question, the Gospel writers often follow with a statement like "Jesus, knowing what was in their hearts..." This time Matthew doesn't say that. Jesus asks them a question in return and their response lays out to us their motivation.
They can't respond one way because then Jesus will have them trapped. They can't respond the other way because they'll lose their control over the crowds. So they don't respond at all. They're not seeking truth. They're not striving to serve the Lord. They're trying to see if Jesus will work with them or subjugate Himself to them.
Jesus, being God, knew this. I get the sense that He has very little patience for self-service, something the priests and elders were certainly known for. Oh how He loves those who are penitent and desire to love Him, but how He rejects those whose only God are themselves.
I think this is a huge challenge to us today. What is our true motivation in our faith? Are we trying to serve the Lord for His sake or for ours? That seems like kind of a silly question. "Of course I'm serving the Lord for His sake! Why would I be doing all this stuff for myself??" Oh how cleverly the enemy can distract us. We might "seek" the Lord in prayer as a way of "earning" His love and good favor. We might tick the boxes in hopes of getting a prize out of that divine gumball machine again.
This Advent, once again, I challenge you to allow Jesus to reveal your motivations to you. Ask Him the question and then sit with Him in silence.