Luke 20:1-8

¹ Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him ² and spoke to Him, saying, “Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?” ³ But He answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me: ⁴ The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men?” ⁵ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” ⁷ So they answered that they did not know where it was from. ⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Commentary

Vs. 1-2 ¹ Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him ² and spoke to Him, saying, “Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?”

Now it was during this time as Jesus was teaching the people in the Temple and preaching the Gospel to them, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him, demanding to know by what authority He was doing these things, that is cleansing the Temple and then teaching and preaching the Gospel in it. Now Jesus’ cleansing the Temple first before teaching and preaching in it is a good lesson for us all to follow, by first cleansing our own houses of faith (that is root out all the material corruption within ourselves, and or the assemblies where we worship) so that we might become Godly instruments of faith, able and enabled then to teach and preach the Name and Gospel of the Lord the Lord Jesus Christ in all grace and truth. For nothing undermines one’s own Spiritual effectiveness more than aligning oneself with those who are only trying to profit from it. Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ’s being confronted by them in this manner was only an act of utter defiance against God by them! For Jesus Christ came to them in the Fulfillment of God’s Word, to His House to be received by them as their Messiah and King. And yet their only response to Him and His actions against the corruption they were permitting was to set themselves against Him, even daring to call Him and His Authority into question! For they could not see Him for who He is, just for what He was doing, and how this was going to affect them. For that’s all that mattered to them, preserving their own places of privilege, power, and authority.   

Vs. 3-4 ³ But He answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me: ⁴ The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men?”

Now when the chief priests, scribes, and elders of the people confronted Jesus and asked Him by what authority He was doing those things, He didn’t directly answer them by telling them that He was the Son of God. Instead He recalled John the Baptist who had declared Jesus to be who He was, and thus who baptized people, so that they having repented would be prepared to receive the Lord Jesus Christ for themselves. Therefore, Jesus here asks them to answer Him one thing, saying to them, “The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men?” Now this question is vitally important for how ones answers it will determine whether or not they can see the Lord Jesus Christ for who He truly is. For John the Baptist was first foreordained, then sent by God as the Lord Jesus Christ’s forerunner, to proclaim Jesus Christ’s Person as having come. No one than who rejected the Baptism of John was ever Baptized by the Lord Jesus Christ, that is received salvation from Him! Jesus’ question to them about John the Baptist is then calling them to answer whether they believe that John was sent from God or from man.

Vs. 5-8 ⁵ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” ⁷ So they answered that they did not know where it was from. ⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Now when they heard Jesus’ question they did not immediately answer, instead they began to reason amongst themselves all the possible implications for themselves in how they should answer Him. And so first they reason that, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ (vs. 5) Thus, why didn’t they repent and believe? Therefore, having no justification for not doing so, they consider the second option. Now in this they reason that if they say Johns Baptism was from man, and not from God, then all the people will stone them, for all the people were persuaded that John was a prophet.” (Vs. 6). Therefore, seeing no way not to self-incriminate themselves as having rejected the will of God for themselves (Luke 7:30), or to be condemned as unbelievers by the crowds if they answer John’s baptism was from man, they craftily respond by answering Jesus by saying that they do not know where it was from. Which in that moment may have “saved” them from public shame and reproach, but truly such a statement will not save them, or anyone else from God’s judgment to come! For to reject the Will of God for oneself, or to try to play one’s hand safe as “agnostic”, is to only self-condemn! Jesus then upon hearing their unwillingness to be straightforward with Him, then says to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” (vs. 8) Therefore, they will be left to their own devices, left dead in their own sins and transgressions, because no one who will not deal truthfully with the Lord Jesus Christ will ever know Him unto eternal life (Jer. 9:6).

Scripture Quotations

New King James Version (1982): Thomas Nelson