Matthew 21:23-27 23And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, saying, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” 24But answering Jesus said to them, “And I also will ask you one question, and if you answer me, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25The baptism of John, from where was it? From heaven or from humanity?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26But if we say, ‘From humanity,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27So answering they said to Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither do I say to you by what authority I do these things.”
The controversy about Jesus continues to develop as he went to the temple area each day to preach and heal people. The chief priests and elders ask one of the key questions of Matthew’s Gospel. The word authority (exousia) has been repeated several times so far (7:28-29; 8:9; 9:6, 8; 10:1) and will be one of the last things Jesus mentions in 28:18. The Jewish leaders could not deny that Jesus has miracle working power. His authority, power, and ability could not be doubted. The proof was in the many people he healed and the powerful words he spoke. Jews were concerned about issues of authority, especially with the dominance of the Roman Empire and the many soldiers in and around Jerusalem. Any disturbance of the peace could have far reaching implications for those in power and even the peace of the whole land. Also, the leaders did not want their own positions of authority threatened in anyway. They wanted to keep the status quo and not cause any disturbance, which Jesus obviously was causing.
Jesus turns the discussion around and asks them a question about their interpretation of the ministry of John the Baptist. Jesus knew what bothered the Jews and so asks a question that would cause them to realize the truth about him. He extended invitation even to those who wanted to harm him. He summarizes John’s ministry simply as baptism. This word incorporates both message and method, which could be summed up with the call to repentance, which is exactly what these leaders needed to do. There were only two options of where John’s message originated: heaven or humanity.
Their answer to Jesus’ question would determine their motives and also reveal the condition of their hearts. If they answered from heaven, then they would also need to recognize that Jesus’ authority came from heaven. if they said from humanity, then they would be denying the power of John’s message and also lying about the obvious miracles Jesus had performed. The crowds had heard Jesus’ teachings and witnessed his miracles, and so by rejecting Jesus, the leaders were losing face before the people. They are stuck between admitting the truth about Jesus or denying the divine origin of John’s ministry and experiencing the rejection of the people.
Their response of trying to take a middle ground, we do not know, only further demonstrates the hardness of their hearts. It was all about politics and power to them. These leaders lacked integrity. They desires for power clouded their vision of Jesus. The choice for them, and for us, was whether or not to accept Jesus’ authority.
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