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The Pharisees were reeling. Jesus had just cleansed the Temple and done it with supreme authority. Aside from that one event, however, they were most likely trying to figure out who this man really was and what higher power He was appealing to. Investigating this truth was a responsibility that came with their title.
“As the official guardians of the Law, the members of the Sanhedrin had both the right and the responsibility to investigate anyone who claimed to be sent by God; and that included Jesus (see Deu 18:15-22). However, these men did not have open minds or sincere motives.”
Warren Wiersbe
and began saying to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?”
Mark 11:28 NASB
Jesus responds with one question. It was all He needed to expose their hypocrisy.
“Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.”
Mark 11:30 NASB
Jesus takes them back to John the Baptist to reveal that God’s truth is consistent. This is important. Many people today claim to have a direct line to God in which they discover new truth and insight that cannot be supported by Scripture. But God does not uncover new truth if we deny the truth He has already revealed. This is a tactic of false teachers. If they do not like what God has taught, they just change it or look for new information to fit their agenda and lifestyle. The Pharisees came with presuppositions that Jesus was not from God, therefore, the purpose of their question was to find evidence to convict Jesus, not to learn from Him.
“The Jewish religious leaders had not accepted what John had taught, so why should God say anything more to them?”
Warren Wiersbe
Their evaluation of John’s authority was the determining factor. It’s as if Jesus is saying, “You already know the answer, but now I’m going to make you say it out loud.” In fact, the Pharisees quickly discover they have walked into a trap. If they answer that John’s authority was not from God, then Jesus will question why they do not believe in Him. This was obvious. Everyone knew that John’s ministry pointed to Jesus as the Messiah. However, if they answer by saying John was not of God, the people would surely turn against the religious leaders as they believed wholeheartedly that John was a real prophet.
This was a problem and certainly an embarrassing one for the Pharisees. They had no answer.
Answering Jesus, they *said, “We do not know.” And Jesus *said to them, “Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Mark 11:33 NASB
Even though they are lying, this admission was certainly difficult for such self-righteous men. Note, they would rather embarrass themselves than stake a claim that Jesus was actually sent from God. Their lack of a response revealed their unbelievably calloused hearts. Interestingly, Jesus doesn’t answer them in the end. He will not contribute to their hypocrisy. Had they been honest with Jesus, He would have been honest with them. We must understand that when we come to Jesus with questions, we must deal honestly with the truth He has already revealed.