Mt 21:23-27
23When [Jesus] had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” 24Jesus said to them in reply, “I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. 25Where was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” They discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 26But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.” 27So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” He himself said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
THE BAPTISM OF JOHN: Jesus, the prophet from Galilee, enters Jerusalem in triumph, received by the people with acclamation. He then comes into the temple area and drives out all those engaged in selling and buying there. Naturally, he earns the ire of the chief priests and the elders, the guardians and the authority in the temple. Aside from holding that no prophet arises from Galilee (Jn 7:52), they are alarmed by Jesus’ actions and teaching. So they confront him with a question: “By what authority are you doing these things?”
Instead of referring them to himself, Jesus directs them to John the Baptist. Did his authority to baptize come from God (heavenly) or did he appropriate it by himself (of human origin)? They are put in a dilemma. If they say “from God,” they incriminate themselves for not believing in John’s baptism. On the other hand, if they declare that John’s baptism is “from men,” they are afraid of the crowd who regard John as a prophet. Through embarrassment on one hand and fear on the other, the authorities claim ignorance of the origin of John’s source “authority.” As they show themselves incapable of speaking “with authority,” Jesus refuses to answer them regarding the grounds of his own authority.