When the Jewish leadership confronted Jesus about stopping the Temple marketplace, why did Jesus ask about John? Luke 20: 3 “Let me ask you a question first,” he replied. 4 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”[1] Herod had beheaded John the Baptist over two years before this confrontation. Why would John be an appropriate topic as Jewish leadership attacked Him?
The Question Put Leadership in a Predicament
By responding to the leadership’s question with a question, Jesus put the burden of proof on them. John had called out leadership, and that didn’t make him popular with them.
Matthew 3: 7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? 8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. 9 Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 10 Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.[2]
Jesus’ question put the leadership in a no-win situation. If they replied that John’s authority was from God, the follow-up question would be: Why didn’t you follow him? The people would riot if they answered that John’s authority was human. Leadership was very much out of touch with the people they were leading.
God Pronounced Jesus’ Authority Through John
God had sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus, the Messiah. Luke 3: 3 Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 4 Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!…
21 One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.[3]
Because the religious leaders had not believed John, who pointed to Jesus as the Messiah, they refused to acknowledge Jesus. So, as Jesus asked this question, He implied that His authority came from the same source as John the Baptist’s.
The Question Revealed Hearts
Jesus had a way of revealing hearts then and now. If we don’t think we have a problem with our heart, we won’t worry about fixing it. But, if the Lord reveals we have a problem, He is also the solution. The Jewish leadership refused to acknowledge they were wrong. What will you do with your sin problem? Don’t be afraid to confess your problem to Jesus; He is the only one who can fix it. Why did Jesus ask about John? To find out more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/jesus-on-authority
[1-3] Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.