October 29 | Jesus' Authority - Brentwood Baptist

Today’s Reading:

Read Mark 11:27-12:12; Luke 20:1-18; John 12:37-50

Let’s play “Follow the Leader.” Parents, choose someone to be the leader. Remind the leader that they have the authority and that the other people in your family will follow them, however they lead. (Feel free to put boundaries on this authority, if needed.) After you have played for a while, talk about who was in charge of the game. The first answer may seem easy- the leader got to choose what you were doing so obviously; they were in charge. However- ask this question: “Who chose the leader?” Ultimately, moms and dads you were in charge of the game because you gave the leader the authority to lead.

In our reading today, Jesus’ authority was challenged. The leaders wanted to know who had given Him the authority to clean out the temple and to proclaim the good news of the gospel. Jesus challenged them to answer their own question, and they answered with “We don’t know!”

Jesus answered the Pharisees by saying, “The one who believes in me believes not in me, but in him who sent me.” (John 12:44) He went on to say, “I know that this command is eternal life. So, the things that I speak, I speak just as the Father has told me.” Jesus clearly explained that his authority came from God.

Application/Prayer:

Who is in charge of your life? Who has the authority to tell you what to do? Parents, spend some time answering these questions with your kids. Spend some time thanking God for having the ultimate authority in your life and ask Him to help you submit to that authority every day.

October Memory Verse:

“When I am afraid, I will trust in you.”

Psalm 56:3

Using the daily reading prompts from George H. Guthrie’s Read the Bible for Life, here’s how to use this devotional:

Bring your Bible! Your kids need to see that everything you are reading to them or learning about comes from an actual Bible!
Each day starts with a reading prompt. Read the selection as a family. If your kids are readers, encourage them to read along with you.
After you’ve read the passage, read the short devotional thought that goes along with each passage.
Prayer and application are important any time we read God’s word! After each devotional, there is a challenge to help apply what your family has read that day.
There is a reading for six days of the week. The last reading of the week is a Gospel Conversation Prompt to help you connect the reading from the week with God’s plan for salvation.