InLuke 20 we are looking at what happen in Passion Week, the Jewish Passover.  At this point in this chapter, we're onTuesday. where Jesus is confronted by the chief priests, elders, and scribes.They ask Him the question: "By what authority are you doing thesethings?"

Whatauthority did He have to cleanse the temple, and what authority did He have tobe teaching? Who made Him a rabbi? Where did He get his credentials? Whatseminary did He go to? Of course, Jesus didn’t go to any seminary, and basicallythey are rejecting Him. They’re threatened by Him. He’s disrupting their religiousand political power. And their profits, as they have been in charge of the merchantsselling things in the temple area called the Gentiles’ Court. They should haveknown who Jesus was!

So,when Jesus is asked, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gaveyou this authority?” He has already told them on many occasions that Hisauthority came from the Father. But He answered and said to them, “I will alsoask you one thing, and answer me: The baptism of John, was it from heaven orfrom men?” In other words, who gave John the Baptist the authority to bebaptizing people and calling them to repent of their sins? They got in a littlehuddle and reasoned among themselves, put their heads together, and said, “Now,how are we going to answer him?” They said amongst themselves, “If we say fromheaven, he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say from men,all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”So, they answered that they did not know where it was from. Jesus said to them,“Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Amazingly,Jesus turns the tables on them. By answering them with a question, by giving aparable (vv. 9-16), and then offering a prophecy (vv. 17-18), He reveals thesins of the nation of Israel. Their main sin right now is that they arerejecting their own Messiah. Jesus takes them back to John the Baptist for tworeasons. First, John had pointed to Jesus and introduced Him to the nation, sotheir rejection of John was actually a rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Theyshould have recognized who Jesus was based on the message and presentation ofJohn that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Second,it is a spiritual principle that if we disobey truth we already know, Godcannot reveal new truth to us (see John 7:14-17). Why answer their questionwhen they had refused to submit to John's message?

Remembersomething else and this is so important. We go back to the Old Testament toExodus 12, where the Passover lamb had to be set aside for ten days to ensureit was without spot and without blemish. It had to be thoroughly checked beforeit was slaughtered for the sacrifice, for the blood to be applied to thedoorpost and lintel. Picture Jesus as that Lamb of God who has come to takeaway the sin of the world. Jesus is now being examined by these people duringthese three days of Passover week. He’s being questioned: “Who are you? Wheredo you get your authority?” This fits so well because Jesus is now going to berejected, slaughtered, and crucified because he is going to take away the sinof the world.

Nowit was the religious leaders who were in the dilemma! No matter what answerthey gave, they were in trouble, so they decided to "play dumb" andnot answer at all. They were deceitful in asking the question and dishonest inthe way they avoided answering it. Even if Jesus had given them an answer,their hearts were not prepared to receive it. If they had disobeyed God'smessage given by John the Baptist (Luke 7:24-30), they would disobey themessage given by God's Son.

Theyshould have already known who Jesus was and received His message! And so shouldwe!