And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was aa prophet. So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” (Mark 11:27-33 ESV).
The three major groups of religious authorities—the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders—came to ask Jesus about his authority. But they were not really asking for information. Their question was filled with disdain and accusation.
They were not searching for understanding. They were making a hostile inquiry, seeking to undermine Jesus. Earlier in this chapter we read that they were “looking for a way to kill him” (v. 18)—so we know they were not looking to be enlightened, and Jesus knew that too.
Even so, their question is a good one to ask, as long as we are not hostile and we really want to know: “Jesus, how do you have the authority to do what you are doing and to teach what you are teaching?”
In a world where there are so many different teachings and authorities, it can be hard to know which way is right or true. We need to know why we should listen to Jesus and follow him. And Jesus gladly shows us the way. He is not threatened by our honestly seeking understanding. Jesus invites us to see that he is the Son of God and that he has divine authority to heal and forgive. He also has authority to lay down his life for our sake, and to take it up again (cf. John 10:17-18).
Jesus has done all this for our salvation, and this is the most important truth to know!