Study Desk

^(a)On one of the days while ^(b)He was teaching the people in the temple and ^(c)preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders ^(d)confronted Him,

and they spoke, saying to Him, "Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?"

Jesus answered and said to them, "I will also ask you a ^[a]question, and you tell Me:

Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?"

They reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, ‘From heaven,' He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?'

But if we say, ‘From men,' all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a ^(e)prophet."

So they answered that they did not know where it came from.

And Jesus said to them, "Nor ^[b]will I tell you by what authority I do these things."