Luke 19:45-20:8

New International Version

Jesus at the Temple^(A)

⁴⁵ When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. ⁴⁶ “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’^[a];^(B) but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’^[b]”^(C)

⁴⁷ Every day he was teaching at the temple.^(D) But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him.^{(E) 48} Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.

The Authority of Jesus Questioned^(F)

20 One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts^(G) and proclaiming the good news,^(H) the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. ² “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”^(I)

³ He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: ⁴ John’s baptism^(J)—was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

⁵ They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people^(K) will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”^(L)

⁷ So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.”

⁸ Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”