Anchor My Faith

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Author: Stephen Weller
567 words, 3 minutes read time

Two Unanswered Questions

Scripture: Matthew 21:24, 26; Mark 11:30; Luke 20:5-8

We ended the previous lesson expediently waiting for Jesus to reply to the challenge of his authority with a question of his own. We will begin this lesson with that question.

^{Mt 21:24} Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. ^{Mk 11:30} Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.”

We kind of expected Jesus to ask them a question as he has done this several times in the past. The questions he asks usually traps them by putting them in a position where the correct answer would reveal their dishonesty and their need to believe Jesus, and a wrong answer would reveal their ignorance. With this question, Jesus wants them to indicate if they believed the ministry of John was from God or from man. What was its origin?

^{Lk 20:5} And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ ^{Mt 21:26} But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, and ^{Lk 20:6} all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” ^{Lk 20:7} So they answered that they did not know where it came from.”

If these religious leaders had been properly walking with God their answer would be readily available, but since their agenda was more important to them than God’s, they discuss possible answers among themselves and decided to say that they did not know the origin of the baptism of John. If they were to say the origin was from heaven then they knew that Jesus would respond with, “Why did you not believe him?” They knew that if they confessed that John was from God then the next step was to accept that Jesus was from God. If on the other hand, they were to say the origin was from men then they feared the crowd because they believed that John was a prophet from God. They were afraid that the crowd might stone them to death for such a response.

The question from Jesus reveals the nature of their hearts and exposes their sin and deepens their hate for Jesus. To protect themselves from the crowds and further shame from Jesus, they have no choice but to answer that they did not know the origin of John’s ministry. Their unwillingness to answer the question Jesus asked them, prevents Jesus from answering theirs.

^{Lk 20:8} And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

If they did not know whether John the Baptist was from God, they would not know whether Jesus was either. With Jesus facing such hostility, he refuses to answer their question and, in the process, exposes their ignorance.

Conclusion

The inability of these religious leaders to answer the question Jesus asks, presents an example of how their righteous indignation has corrupted their mind and spirit. They should from the Scriptures see that the Son of God in the person of Jesus is standing before them, but instead they plan to kill him as an impostor.