Jesus
said to them, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John—was it from heaven, or from men? Answer me.”
Mark 11:29-30
Mark 11 [27.] They came again to Jerusalem, and as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders came to him, and they began saying to him, “By what authority do you do these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?”
Mark 11 [29.] Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John—was it from heaven, or from men? Answer me.”
Mark 11 [31.] They reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we should say, ‘From heaven;’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ If we should say, ‘From men’”—they feared the people, for all held John to really be a prophet. They answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Jesus said to them, “Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Meaning:
The leaders had demanded to know by what authority Jesus acted and who gave it to him (Mark 11:27-28). Jesus replied with a question. This was a familiar method in rabbinic debate, but it was not a way of avoiding the issue. The question about John the Baptist went to the heart of their own question, because John’s message and Jesus’ authority were bound together. How they answered about John would show whether they were really willing to recognise authority from God.
- “I will ask you one question”
Jesus often answered with a question that exposed what was in people’s hearts. When critics objected to his forgiving sins, he asked, “Which is easier…?” (Mark 2:9). When they watched to accuse him of healing on the Sabbath, he asked, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath day to do good, or to do harm?” (Mark 3:4). He had told his disciples to be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16), and here he shows that wisdom. He does not fall into their trap; he gently turns it back on them.
- “The baptism of John”
John the Baptist had drawn huge crowds to the Jordan, “preaching the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4). “The baptism of John” stands for his whole ministry and message. John had no temple office either. He was a prophet in the wilderness, yet multitudes, including tax collectors, came to him asking what they should do (Luke 3:12).
John had also pointed beyond himself. He said that one mightier than he was coming, and when Jesus was baptized, a voice from heaven declared, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11). John called Jesus “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). If John was sent by God, then his witness to Jesus was true, and the leaders already had their answer.
- “Was it from heaven, or from men?”
“Heaven” was a respectful Jewish way of saying “God”. The choice was simple: was John a true prophet sent by God, or a man acting on his own? Jesus had already told the crowds that John was the messenger promised by Malachi: “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you” (Matthew 11:10; Malachi 3:1). The leaders, however, had not accepted John’s call. When some came to his baptism he warned them, “Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance!” (Matthew 3:8).
- “Answer me”
Mark records Jesus’ demand twice: “Answer me.” The men who came to examine Jesus are now being examined. The question was not unfair. These leaders were responsible for judging whether a prophet was true or false. If they could not give an honest answer about John, they were in no position to judge Jesus. The question tested whether they were willing to follow the truth wherever it led.
The Significance of Mark 11:29-30
- Honest questions need honest answers
Jesus welcomes sincere questions, but he exposes questions asked only to trap or to avoid the truth.
- How we treat God’s messengers
The way people responded to John showed how they would respond to Jesus. Rejecting God’s call to repentance closes the heart to his Son.
- Witnesses to Jesus
Jesus’ authority was confirmed by John’s testimony, by the Father’s voice and by his own works. The evidence is there for all who are willing to see it.
Cross-References:
Mark 1:4: "John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins." The ministry Jesus asked about.
Matthew 11:10: "For this is he, of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’" Jesus’ verdict on John.
John 1:29: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John’s testimony to Jesus.
Matthew 10:16: "Therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." The wisdom Jesus showed his opponents.
Conclusion: When the leaders challenged his authority, Jesus asked them one question and promised to answer theirs if they answered his: was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? The question was wise and fair. John had been sent by God and had pointed to Jesus as the mightier one and the Lamb of God, so an honest answer about John would also answer the question about Jesus. Jesus turned his examiners into the examined and called them to face the truth.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible