Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The question about Jesus’ authority

20 On one of those days, while Jesus was teaching the people in the Temple, and announcing the good news, the chief priests and the scribes came up with the elders, and said to him, ² “Tell us: by what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority?”

³ “I’ve got a question for you, too,” said Jesus, “so tell me this: ⁴ was John’s baptism from God, or was it merely human?”

⁵ “If we say it was from God,” they said among themselves, “he’ll say, So why didn’t you believe him? ⁶ But if we say ‘merely human,’ all the people will stone us, since they’re convinced that John was a prophet.”

⁷ So they replied that they didn’t know where John and his baptism came from.

⁸ “Very well, then,” said Jesus. “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”