Luke 19:45-20:8

Common English Bible

Jesus clears the temple

⁴⁵ When Jesus entered the temple, he threw out those who were selling things there. ⁴⁶ He said to them, “It’s written, My house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it a hideout for crooks.”^[a]

⁴⁷ Jesus was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests, the legal experts, and the foremost leaders among the people were seeking to kill him. ⁴⁸ However, they couldn’t find a way to do it because all the people were enthralled with what they heard.

Controversy over authority

20 On one of the days when Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests, legal experts, and elders approached him. ² They said, “Tell us: What kind of authority do you have for doing these things? Who gave you this authority?”

³ He replied, “I have a question for you. Tell me: ⁴  Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin?”

⁵ They discussed among themselves, “If we say, ‘It’s of heavenly origin,’ he’ll say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘It’s of human origin,’ all the people will stone us to death because they are convinced that John was a prophet.” ⁷ They answered that they didn’t know where it came from.

⁸ Then Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you what kind of authority I have to do these things.”