180. Discourse in the Temple: An Answer to “By What Authority Do You Do This?” Mt. 21:23–27; Mk. 11:27–33; Lk. 20:1–8

They came again to Jerusalem. When he had come into the temple during one of those last days, and was walking in it and teaching and bringing good tidings, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came to him and said to him: “Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority to do this?”

Jesus said to them in reply: “I will also ask you one thing; if you tell me the answer, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men? Answer me.”

And they argued with one another: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men’ – we are afraid of the crowd; for everyone held that John was truly a prophet.” And they answered the Lord Jesus: “We do not know where it came from.”

Then the Lord Jesus said to them: “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”