Matthew 21:25

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Did John’s baptism come from heaven, or was it of human origin?”

King James Version (1611)
The baptisme of Iohn, whence was it? from heauen, or of men? and they reasoned with themselues saying, If we shall say, From heauen, hee will say vnto vs, Why did ye not then beleeue him?

King James Version
The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?

English Standard Version
The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?" And they discussed it among themselves, saying, "If we say, ‘From heaven,' he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?'

New American Standard Bible
"The baptism of John was from what source: from heaven or from men?" And they began considering the implications among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?'

New Century Version
Tell me: When John baptized people, did that come from God or just from other people?" They argued about Jesus' question, saying, "If we answer, ‘John's baptism was from God,' Jesus will say, ‘Then why didn't you believe him?'

Amplified Bible
"The baptism of John—from where did it come? From heaven [that is, ordained by God] or from men?" And they began debating among themselves [considering the implications of their answer], saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe John?'

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?" And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?'

Legacy Standard Bible
The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?" And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, "If we say, ‘From heaven,' He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?'

Berean Standard Bible
What was the source of John's baptism? Was it from heaven or from men?" They deliberated among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will ask, 'Why then did you not believe him?'

Contemporary English Version
Who gave John the right to baptize? Was it God in heaven or merely some human being?" They thought it over and said to each other, "We can't say that God gave John this right. Jesus will ask us why we didn't believe John.

Complete Jewish Bible
The immersion of Yochanan — where did it come from? From Heaven or from a human source?" They discussed it among themselves: "If we say, ‘From Heaven,' he will say, ‘Then why didn't you believe him?'

Darby Translation
The baptism of John, whence was it? of heaven or of men? And they reasoned among themselves, saying, If we should say, Of heaven, he will say to us, Why then have ye not believed him?

Easy-to-Read Version
Tell me: When John baptized people, did his authority come from God, or was it only from other people?" The priests and the Jewish leaders talked about Jesus' question. They said to each other, "If we answer, ‘John's baptism was from God,' then he will say, ‘Then why didn't you believe John?'

Geneva Bible (1587)
The baptisme of Iohn, whence was it? from heauen, or of men? Then they reasoned among themselues, saying, If we shall say, From heauen, he will say vnto vs, Why did ye not then beleeue him?

George Lamsa Translation
Whence is the baptism of John? Is it from heaven, or from men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we should say from heaven, he will say to us, Why then did you not believe him?

Good News Translation
Where did John's right to baptize come from: was it from God or from human beings?" They started to argue among themselves, "What shall we say? If we answer, ‘From God,' he will say to us, ‘Why, then, did you not believe John?'

Lexham English Bible
From where was the baptism of John—from heaven or from men?" And they began to discuss this among themselves, saying, "If we say ‘From heaven,' he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?'

Literal Translation
The baptism of John, from where was it? From Heaven, or from men? And they reasoned among themselves, saying, If we shall say, From Heaven, He will say to us, Why then did you not believe him?

American Standard Version
The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven or from men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why then did ye not believe him?

Bible in Basic English
The baptism of John, where did it come from? from heaven or from men? And they were reasoning among themselves, saying, If we say, From heaven; he will say to us, Why then did you not have faith in him?

Hebrew Names Version
The immersion of Yochanan, where was it from? From heaven or from men?" They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we will say, 'From heaven,' he will ask us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'

International Standard Version
Where did John's authority to baptizeJohn's baptism">[fn] come from? From heaven or from humans?" They began discussing this among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Then why didn't you believe him?'

Etheridge Translation
The baptism of Juchanon, whence is it, from heaven or from men ? But they thought within themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven, he saith to us, Why did ye not believe him?

Murdock Translation
The baptism of John, from whence was it? From heaven, or from men? And they reasoned among themselves, and said: If we should say, From heaven; he will say to us, Why did ye not believe in him?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
The baptisme of Iohn, whence was it, from heauen, or of men? And they reasoned with them selues saying: if we shall say from heauen, he wyll say vnto vs, why dyd ye not then beleue hym?

English Revised Version
The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven or from men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why then did ye not believe him?

World English Bible
The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from men?" They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we will say, 'From heaven,' he will tell us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven, or of men? And they reasoned among themselves, saying, If we say, from heaven, he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?

Weymouth's New Testament
John's Baptism, whence was it? --had it a heavenly or a human origin?" So they debated the matter among themselves. "If we say `a heavenly origin,'" they argued, "he will say, `Why then did you not believe him?'

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Of whennys was the baptym of Joon; of heuene, or of men? And thei thouyten with ynne hem silf,

Update Bible Version
The baptism of John, from where was it? from heaven or from men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say to us, Why then did you not believe him?

Webster's Bible Translation
The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or from men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, if we shall say, From heaven; he will say to us, Why then did ye not believe him?

New English Translation
Where did John's baptism come from? From heaven or from people?" They discussed this among themselves, saying, "If we say, ‘From heaven,' he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?'

New King James Version
The baptism of John--where was it from? From heaven or from men?" And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, "From heaven,' He will say to us, "Why then did you not believe him?'

New Living Translation
"Did John's authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?" They talked it over among themselves. "If we say it was from heaven, he will ask us why we didn't believe John.

New Life Bible
Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?" They thought among themselves, "If we say, ‘From heaven,' then He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?'

New Revised Standard
Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, ‘From heaven,' he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?'

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The immersion by John, whence was it? Of heaven, or of men? But, they, began to deliberate among themselves, saying - If we say, Of heaven; He will say unto us, Wherefore then did ye not believe him?

Douay-Rheims Bible
The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven or from men? But they thought within themselves, saying:

Revised Standard Version
The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven or from men?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
The baptime of Iohn: whence was it? fro heve or of men? Then they reasoned amoge them selves sayinge: yf we shall saye fro heven he will saye vnto vs: why dyd ye not then beleve hym?

Young's Literal Translation
the baptism of John, whence was it? -- from heaven, or from men?' And they were reasoning with themselves, saying, `If we should say, From heaven; he will say to us, Wherefore, then, did ye not believe him?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The baptime of Iho, whece was it? from heaue, or of men? Then thought they amoge them selues, and saide: Yf we saye it was from heaue, then shal he saye vnto us: Why dyd ye not then beleue him?

Mace New Testament (1729)
the baptism of John, whence was it? was it a divine or a human Institution? and they reasoned thus with themselves, if we say, it was divine; he will say, then, why did ye not believe him?

Simplified Cowboy Version
John's baptism, where did it come from? Was it from the Boss or from men?"They talked about it and finally said among themselves, "If we say that it came from the Boss, then he will say, 'Then how come you didn't believe John?'

Contextual Overview

²³ Then he was back in the Temple, teaching. The high priests and leaders of the people came up and demanded, "Show us your credentials. Who authorized you to teach here?" ²⁴Jesus responded, "First let me ask you a question. You answer my question and I'll answer yours. About the baptism of John—who authorized it: heaven or humans?" They were on the spot and knew it. They pulled back into a huddle and whispered, "If we say ‘heaven,' he'll ask us why we didn't believe him; if we say ‘humans,' we're up against it with the people because they all hold John up as a prophet." They decided to concede that round to Jesus. "We don't know," they answered. Jesus said, "Then neither will I answer your question. "Tell me what you think of this story: A man had two sons. He went up to the first and said, ‘Son, go out for the day and work in the vineyard.' "The son answered, ‘I don't want to.' Later on he thought better of it and went. "The father gave the same command to the second son. He answered, ‘Sure, glad to.' But he never went. "Which of the two sons did what the father asked?" They said, "The first." Jesus said, "Yes, and I tell you that crooks and whores are going to precede you into God's kingdom. John came to you showing you the right road. You turned up your noses at him, but the crooks and whores believed him. Even when you saw their changed lives, you didn't care enough to change and believe him. "Here's another story. Listen closely. There was once a man, a wealthy farmer, who planted a vineyard. He fenced it, dug a winepress, put up a watchtower, then turned it over to the farmhands and went off on a trip. When it was time to harvest the grapes, he sent his servants back to collect his profits. "The farmhands grabbed the first servant and beat him up. The next one they murdered. They threw stones at the third but he got away. The owner tried again, sending more servants. They got the same treatment. The owner was at the end of his rope. He decided to send his son. ‘Surely,' he thought, ‘they will respect my son.' "But when the farmhands saw the son arrive, they rubbed their hands in greed. ‘This is the heir! Let's kill him and have it all for ourselves.' They grabbed him, threw him out, and killed him. "Now, when the owner of the vineyard arrives home from his trip, what do you think he will do to the farmhands?" "He'll kill them—a rotten bunch, and good riddance," they answered. "Then he'll assign the vineyard to farmhands who will hand over the profits when it's time." Jesus said, "Right—and you can read it for yourselves in your Bibles: The stone the masons threw out is now the cornerstone. This is God's work; we rub our eyes, we can hardly believe it! "This is the way it is with you. God's kingdom will be taken back from you and handed over to a people who will live out a kingdom life. Whoever stumbles on this Stone gets shattered; whoever the Stone falls on gets smashed." When the religious leaders heard this story, they knew it was aimed at them. They wanted to arrest Jesus and put him in jail, but, intimidated by public opinion, they held back. Most people held him to be a prophet of God. ²⁶The Royal Welcome When they neared Jerusalem, having arrived at Bethphage on Mount Olives, Jesus sent two disciples with these instructions: "Go over to the village across from you. You'll find a donkey tethered there, her colt with her. Untie her and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you're doing, say, ‘The Master needs them!' He will send them with you." This is the full story of what was sketched earlier by the prophet: Tell Zion's daughter, "Look, your king's on his way, poised and ready, mounted On a donkey, on a colt, foal of a pack animal." The disciples went and did exactly what Jesus told them to do. They led the donkey and colt out, laid some of their clothes on them, and Jesus mounted. Nearly all the people in the crowd threw their garments down on the road, giving him a royal welcome. Others cut branches from the trees and threw them down as a welcome mat. Crowds went ahead and crowds followed, all of them calling out, "Hosanna to David's son!" "Blessed is he who comes in God's name!" "Hosanna in highest heaven!" As he made his entrance into Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken. Unnerved, people were asking, "What's going on here? Who is this?" The parade crowd answered, "This is the prophet Jesus, the one from Nazareth in Galilee." Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants. He quoted this text: My house was designated a house of prayer; You have made it a hangout for thieves. Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in. They came to Jesus and he healed them. When the religious leaders saw the outrageous things he was doing, and heard all the children running and shouting through the Temple, "Hosanna to David's Son!" they were up in arms and took him to task. "Do you hear what these children are saying?" Jesus said, "Yes, I hear them. And haven't you read in God's Word, ‘From the mouths of children and babies I'll furnish a place of praise'?" Fed up, Jesus turned on his heel and left the city for Bethany, where he spent the night. Early the next morning Jesus was returning to the city. He was hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree alongside the road, he approached it anticipating a breakfast of figs. When he got to the tree, there was nothing but fig leaves. He said, "No more figs from this tree—ever!" The fig tree withered on the spot, a dry stick. The disciples saw it happen. They rubbed their eyes, saying, "Did we really see this? A leafy tree one minute, a dry stick the next?" But Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Yes—and if you embrace this kingdom life and don't doubt God, you'll not only do minor feats like I did to the fig tree, but also triumph over huge obstacles. This mountain, for instance, you'll tell, ‘Go jump in the lake,' and it will jump. Absolutely everything, ranging from small to large, as you make it a part of your believing prayer, gets included as you lay hold of God." Then he was back in the Temple, teaching. The high priests and leaders of the people came up and demanded, "Show us your credentials. Who authorized you to teach here?" Jesus responded, "First let me ask you a question. You answer my question and I'll answer yours. About the baptism of John—who authorized it: heaven or humans?" They were on the spot and knew it. They pulled back into a huddle and whispered, "If we say ‘heaven,' he'll ask us why we didn't believe him; if we say ‘humans,' we're up against it with the people because they all hold John up as a prophet." They decided to concede that round to Jesus. "We don't know," they answered. Jesus said, "Then neither will I answer your question. "Tell me what you think of this story: A man had two sons. He went up to the first and said, ‘Son, go out for the day and work in the vineyard.' "The son answered, ‘I don't want to.' Later on he thought better of it and went. "The father gave the same command to the second son. He answered, ‘Sure, glad to.' But he never went. "Which of the two sons did what the father asked?" They said, "The first." Jesus said, "Yes, and I tell you that crooks and whores are going to precede you into God's kingdom. John came to you showing you the right road. You turned up your noses at him, but the crooks and whores believed him. Even when you saw their changed lives, you didn't care enough to change and believe him. "Here's another story. Listen closely. There was once a man, a wealthy farmer, who planted a vineyard. He fenced it, dug a winepress, put up a watchtower, then turned it over to the farmhands and went off on a trip. When it was time to harvest the grapes, he sent his servants back to collect his profits. "The farmhands grabbed the first servant and beat him up. The next one they murdered. They threw stones at the third but he got away. The owner tried again, sending more servants. They got the same treatment. The owner was at the end of his rope. He decided to send his son. ‘Surely,' he thought, ‘they will respect my son.' "But when the farmhands saw the son arrive, they rubbed their hands in greed. ‘This is the heir! Let's kill him and have it all for ourselves.' They grabbed him, threw him out, and killed him. "Now, when the owner of the vineyard arrives home from his trip, what do you think he will do to the farmhands?" "He'll kill them—a rotten bunch, and good riddance," they answered. "Then he'll assign the vineyard to farmhands who will hand over the profits when it's time." Jesus said, "Right—and you can read it for yourselves in your Bibles: The stone the masons threw out is now the cornerstone. This is God's work; we rub our eyes, we can hardly believe it! "This is the way it is with you. God's kingdom will be taken back from you and handed over to a people who will live out a kingdom life. Whoever stumbles on this Stone gets shattered; whoever the Stone falls on gets smashed." When the religious leaders heard this story, they knew it was aimed at them. They wanted to arrest Jesus and put him in jail, but, intimidated by public opinion, they held back. Most people held him to be a prophet of God. ²⁷The Royal Welcome When they neared Jerusalem, having arrived at Bethphage on Mount Olives, Jesus sent two disciples with these instructions: "Go over to the village across from you. You'll find a donkey tethered there, her colt with her. Untie her and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you're doing, say, ‘The Master needs them!' He will send them with you." This is the full story of what was sketched earlier by the prophet: Tell Zion's daughter, "Look, your king's on his way, poised and ready, mounted On a donkey, on a colt, foal of a pack animal." The disciples went and did exactly what Jesus told them to do. They led the donkey and colt out, laid some of their clothes on them, and Jesus mounted. Nearly all the people in the crowd threw their garments down on the road, giving him a royal welcome. Others cut branches from the trees and threw them down as a welcome mat. Crowds went ahead and crowds followed, all of them calling out, "Hosanna to David's son!" "Blessed is he who comes in God's name!" "Hosanna in highest heaven!" As he made his entrance into Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken. Unnerved, people were asking, "What's going on here? Who is this?" The parade crowd answered, "This is the prophet Jesus, the one from Nazareth in Galilee." Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants. He quoted this text: My house was designated a house of prayer; You have made it a hangout for thieves. Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in. They came to Jesus and he healed them. When the religious leaders saw the outrageous things he was doing, and heard all the children running and shouting through the Temple, "Hosanna to David's Son!" they were up in arms and took him to task. "Do you hear what these children are saying?" Jesus said, "Yes, I hear them. And haven't you read in God's Word, ‘From the mouths of children and babies I'll furnish a place of praise'?" Fed up, Jesus turned on his heel and left the city for Bethany, where he spent the night. Early the next morning Jesus was returning to the city. He was hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree alongside the road, he approached it anticipating a breakfast of figs. When he got to the tree, there was nothing but fig leaves. He said, "No more figs from this tree—ever!" The fig tree withered on the spot, a dry stick. The disciples saw it happen. They rubbed their eyes, saying, "Did we really see this? A leafy tree one minute, a dry stick the next?" But Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Yes—and if you embrace this kingdom life and don't doubt God, you'll not only do minor feats like I did to the fig tree, but also triumph over huge obstacles. This mountain, for instance, you'll tell, ‘Go jump in the lake,' and it will jump. Absolutely everything, ranging from small to large, as you make it a part of your believing prayer, gets included as you lay hold of God." Then he was back in the Temple, teaching. The high priests and leaders of the people came up and demanded, "Show us your credentials. Who authorized you to teach here?" Jesus responded, "First let me ask you a question. You answer my question and I'll answer yours. About the baptism of John—who authorized it: heaven or humans?" They were on the spot and knew it. They pulled back into a huddle and whispered, "If we say ‘heaven,' he'll ask us why we didn't believe him; if we say ‘humans,' we're up against it with the people because they all hold John up as a prophet." They decided to concede that round to Jesus. "We don't know," they answered. Jesus said, "Then neither will I answer your question.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

baptism: Matthew 3:1-12, Matthew 11:7-15, Matthew 17:12, Matthew 17:13, Mark 1:1-11, Mark 11:27-33, Luke 1:11-17, Luke 1:67-80, Luke 3:2-20, Luke 7:28-35, John 1:6, John 1:15, John 1:25-34, John 3:26-36

Why: Luke 20:5, John 3:18, John 5:33-36, John 5:44-47, John 10:25, John 10:26, John 12:37-43, 1 John 3:20

Reciprocal: Matthew 21:32 - and ye believed Mark 11:31 - Why Luke 14:4 - General Luke 20:4 - baptism Luke 20:14 - reasoned John 3:27 - from John 8:46 - why Acts 19:4 - John

Cross-References

Genesis 21:17
Meanwhile, God heard the boy crying. The angel of God called from Heaven to Hagar, "What's wrong, Hagar? Don't be afraid. God has heard the boy and knows the fix he's in. Up now; go get the boy. Hold him tight. I'm going to make of him a great nation."

Genesis 21:22
At about that same time, Abimelech and the captain of his troops, Phicol, spoke to Abraham: "No matter what you do, God is on your side. So swear to me that you won't do anything underhanded to me or any of my family. For as long as you live here, swear that you'll treat me and my land as well as I've treated you."

Genesis 29:8
"We can't," they said. "Not until all the shepherds get here. It takes all of us to roll the stone from the well. Not until then can we water the flocks."

Proverbs 17:10
A quiet rebuke to a person of good sense does more than a whack on the head of a fool.

Proverbs 25:9
In the heat of an argument, don't betray confidences; Word is sure to get around, and no one will trust you.

Proverbs 27:5
A spoken reprimand is better than approval that's never expressed.

Matthew 18:15
"If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you've made a friend. If he won't listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won't listen, tell the church. If he won't listen to the church, you'll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God's forgiving love.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The baptism of John, whence was it?.... By the baptism of John, is meant the ordinance of water baptism, which was first administered by him; from whence he took the name of John the Baptist: and the doctrine which he preached concerning it, and previous to it, and even the whole of his ministry; which is denominated from a principal part of it, and which greatly distinguished his ministry from all others: and the question put by Christ concerning it is, whence it was? by what authority did John administer the ordinance of water baptism, which had never been administered before by any? who sent him to preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, a doctrine the world had never heard of before? who gave him a commission to discharge the several parts of his ministry, which he performed in such a wonderful and powerful manner? did he receive his authority

from heaven, or of men? that is, from God or man? as the opposition requires; and as it was usual for the Jews to call God by the name of "heaven": in this sense it is used by them, when they say b, that such have no part in the world to come, who affirm, that the law is not מן השמים, "from heaven", that is, from God; which is exactly the phrase here: and when they observe c, that care should be taken that a man does not pronounce שם שמים, "the name of heaven", that is, God, in vain: and when they tell d us of a certain man that built large buildings by the way side, and put food and drink there, so that everyone that came went in and eat, and drank, וברך לשמים, "and blessed heaven"; that is blessed, or gave thanks to God; and when they speak of e מיתה לשמים, "death by heaven"; that is, death which is immediately inflicted by God. So when Christ here asks, whether John's baptism was from heaven, or of men, his meaning is, whether it was of divine institution, and that John acted by divine authority, and commission; or whether it was an human device of his own, or of other men, and that he took the office of preaching and baptizing upon himself of his own head, or by some human appointment: to this he requires a direct answer, as is said in Mark, "answer me"; whether it was from the one, or from the other;

and they reasoned with themselves; either "within themselves", as the Arabic version renders it, "in their own minds", as the Syriac; or they took some little time and privately conferred together, what answer they should return; when they argued the point among themselves,

saying, if we shall say from heaven; if we shall return for answer, that the baptism and ministry of John were of divine appointment, and that he acted by a divine authority,

he will say unto us, why did ye not believe him? why did not ye believe the doctrine that he preached? and receive the testimony that he gave concerning the Messiah? and why were ye not baptized by him? why did ye reject the counsel of God against yourselves? They saw plainly, that if they owned the divine authority of John's baptism and ministry, they must allow Jesus to be the true Messiah, John bore witness to; and consequently, that it was by a divine authority he did what he did; and then there was an end of the question, and is the very thing that Christ had in view.

b T. Hieros. Sanhedrin, fol. 27. 3. Vid. ib. fol. 19. 3. T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 99. 1. c T. Bab. Megilla, fol. 3. 1. d Abot. R. Nathan, c. 7. fol. 3. 2. e Ib. c. 11. fol. 4. 1. Vid. ib. c. 14. fol. 4. 4. & 5. 1. & c. 27. fol. 7. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See also Mark 11:27-33; Luke 20:1-9.

Matthew 21:23

When he was come into the temple - That is, probably, into the inner court - the court of the Israelites.

They took this opportunity of questioning him on this subject when he was not surrounded by the multitude.

By what authority ... - There was a show of propriety in this question. He was making great changes in the affairs of the temple, and they claimed the right to know why this was done, contrary to their permission. He was not “a priest;” he had no civil or ecclesiastical authority as a Jew. It was sufficient authority, indeed, that he came as a prophet and worked miracles. But they professed not to be satisfied with that.

These things - The things which he had just done, in overturning the seats of those that were engaged in traffic, Matthew 21:12.

Matthew 21:24, Matthew 21:25

And Jesus answered ... - Jesus was under no obligation to give them an answer.

They well knew by what authority he did this. He had not concealed his power in working miracles, and had not kept back the knowledge that he was the Messiah. He therefore referred them to a similar case - that of John the Baptist. He knew the estimation in which John was held by the people, and he took the wise in their own craftiness. Whatever answer they gave, he knew they Would convict themselves, and so they saw when they looked at the question. They reasoned correctly. If they should say that John received authority to baptize from God or from heaven, he would directly ask why they did not believe him. They professed to hear all the prophets. If they said, “Of men,” they would be in danger, for all the people believed that John was a prophet.

The baptism of John - For an account of this, see Matthew 3:0. The word “baptism” here probably includes all his work. This was his principal employment; and hence he was called the Baptist, or the “Baptizer.” But our Saviour’s question refers “to his whole ministry.” “The ‘ministry of John’ - his baptism, preaching, prophecies was it from God, or not?” If it was, then the inference was clear that Jesus was the Messiah, and then they might easily know by what authority he did those things.

From heaven - By divine authority, or by the command of God.

From men - By human authority.

Matthew 21:26

We fear the people - They feared that the people would stone them (Luke). Such an unpopular sentiment as to profess that all that “John” did was “imposture,” would have probably ended in tumult, perhaps in their death.

Matthew 21:27

We cannot tell - This was a direct falsehood. They could have told; and the answer should have been, “We will not tell.” There was no reason but that why they did not tell. The reason, probably, why they would not acknowledge that John was a prophet, was that, if they did, they saw he could easily show them by “what authority” he did those things; that is, by his authority as Messiah. John came as his forerunner, pointed him out to the people, baptized him, and bore his public and solemn testimony to the fact that he was the Messiah, Matthew 3:13-15; John 1:29-34. If they acknowledged one, they must the other. In this way our Saviour was about to lead these crafty men to answer their own question, to their own confusion, about his authority. They saw this; and, having given them a “sufficient” answer, there was no need of stating anything further.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 21:25. The baptism of John — Had John a Divine commission or not, for his baptism and preaching? Our Lord here takes the wise in their own cunning. He knew the estimation John was in among the people; and he plainly saw that, if they gave any answer at all, they must convict themselves: and so they saw, when they came to examine the question. See Matthew 21:25-26.