Luke 20:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In their madness, they question Him, ‘By what authority do You do this?’ Yet, they should have recognized that, when He quoted the prophet, it clearly affirmed that the temple is meant for prayer, not for exploitation, where greed and trade dominate. Thus, questioning His authority was unnecessary, as it was apparent that God had commanded this through the prophet.

They continued to inquire, ‘By what authority do You do this? The Law provides that only the descendants of Levi may serve in the temple; how can You, not being of Levi’s lineage, take such liberties?’ But, dear Jews, do not forget David’s proclamation: ‘Thou art a priest forever after the rank of Melchisedec’ (Psalm 109:4). Melchisedec is acknowledged as a priest, yet he was not appointed through the Law nor born of Levi’s lineage. How can this be, considering he predated Levi? Why, then, do you expect Christ to operate within legal confines? God is not bound by man-made laws. While He established that priests should arise from Levi's lineage, He has now set aside that requirement, foreshadowing the priesthood of Melchisedec. Consequently, He cast out those selling sacrificial offerings, such as sheep and doves, to uphold the glory and sanctity of the temple and to signify that reliance on animal sacrifices for divine appeasement is no longer valid.

The Lord could easily retort that ‘it is so said,’ confirming the command of the prophet, or more accurately, God Himself. However, to expose their persistent rebellion against the Holy Spirit and their refusal to believe not just in the ancient prophet Isaiah, who may have slipped from memory, but also in John the Baptist—who was recognized as a glorious and divine figure—He poses a challenging question. This query silenced them and illustrates that if they could not accept the testimony of John, a prophet they deemed superior to Him, how could they trust His justification for His actions? Regardless of what He said, they would likely twist and mock His words, as they had done with John, who was held in high esteem among them.

If you truly understood the Scriptures infused with divine inspiration, along with the words and prophecies of the holy prophets, you might recall the blessed David, who speaks through the Spirit to Christ, the Redeemer of all, “The Lord has sworn and will not repent, You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” So tell me, which Pharisee or Scribe has served God according to the order of Melchizedek, who blessed and received tithes from Abraham? And as the wise Paul observes, “Without all contradiction, the less is blessed of the better.” The very foundation of Israel's existence, the patriarch Abraham, was blessed by Melchizedek's priesthood, which was a foreshadowing of Christ, our Saviour, who has become our High Priest and Apostle. He does not bring those who believe in Him closer to God the Father through bloody sacrifices and offerings of incense, but rather perfects them through a service far superior to the law; for “such a High Priest have we, Who has sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high.” The distinction between the two forms of service is immense; the Saviour offers to God the Father the confession of our faith, as well as the “torrent of the sweet spiritual aroma.” For “God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” However, the bloody sacrifices they present are displeasing to God. For He declared, “I have hated and rejected your festivals, and I will not smell at your solemn assemblies. Even though you bring Me whole burnt offerings and sacrifices, I will not accept them, nor will I regard the salvation of your appearance. Take away from Me the sound of your praises; I will not listen to the music of your instruments.” Therefore, understand that He is saying He detests their festivals, and both their praises and sacrifices are rejected by Him. Yet God delights in true praise; however, not from impure lips or an unclean tongue. It is written in the Psalms, “But to the sinner God has said, Why do you declare My commandments and take My covenant in your mouth; whereas you have hated instruction and cast My words behind you?” He also stated, “Add no more to tread My court; if you bring fine wheat flour, it is in vain, and your spices are an abomination to Me.” So why, O Pharisee, do you grumble about those being removed from the sacred courts who were engaged in legal sacrifices, when the appointed time now beckons us to a life that transcends mere types and to genuine justification through faith in Christ, who embodies the truth? Our examination of these subjects may lead to extended discussions; and any discourse beyond what is appropriate tends to be unpleasing, both to listeners and to teachers alike. Let then what we have conveyed suffice for now; whatever remains will be addressed when Christ gathers us here again; to Him and through Him, be glory and dominion to God the Father, along with the Holy Spirit, forever and ever, Amen.

I presume you have gathered once more to receive teaching; I commend your participation and find your eagerness admirable; for it is written, “Wisdom is better than stones of costly price; and all precious things are not comparable to her.” The wisdom that comes from above, from God, is an unmatched blessing; when we attain it through the sacred Scriptures, which are divinely inspired, and allow the divine light to illuminate our minds, we then proceed without deviation towards that which serves our spiritual benefit. Therefore, let us now diligently explore the significance of the Gospel lessons that have been read to us. In our last meeting, we discussed the ignorance of the Pharisees, their utter folly, and their malicious confrontations. They approached Christ, our Redeemer, inquiring, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who has granted You this authority?” What had Christ accomplished? He had expelled those engaging in trade within the temple, driving out the sellers of sheep and oxen, and overturning the tables of the moneychangers, proclaiming, “Take these things hence: and make not My Father’s house a house of merchandise.” Furthermore, “My house is a house of prayer: but you have made it a den of thieves.” We then elaborated that, as the Lord was consolidating the shadow of the law, already rendered unproductive and excessive, He sought to abolish the practices of bloody sacrifices since the time was near when worship in spirit and in truth had to be declared. For He Himself is the truth, and with the emergence of this truth, the types naturally became obsolete. Nevertheless, it was for this reason that those miserable individuals fiercely opposed the Lord of all. That was the direction of our discourse in the previous gathering. Now we will demonstrate that the leaders and teachers of the Jewish synagogue also aggressively confronted Christ in another manner. The Saviour was teaching in the temple, presenting teachings that surpassed the law; the path of evangelic conduct. Yet they, feeling indignant, wickedly approached Him demanding, “Who has granted You this authority?” What does this signify exactly? “You are teaching in the temple, yet You are from the tribe of Judah, not one of those designated to serve as priests.” They question why He teaches in a manner that contradicts the commandments of Moses and does not align with the law given to us of old. To those who speak in such a way, let us respond, does this trouble your mind and incite jealousy? Do you accuse the Lawgiver of abolishing the law? Do you chastise Him, and cry out because He does not adhere to His own commands? Tell me, is God bound by His own law? Were the commandments given by the holy prophets intended for us, or for Himself perhaps? It is clear, even if you refuse to acknowledge it, that God transcends all law, and we are the ones subject to His commands. Therefore, when any person like us transgresses the law, it is right to admonish and condemn him for his wrongdoing; but He who establishes laws not for Himself but for us to follow, alters these commands at His discretion, not to demean those under the law but rather to elevate them to better things. Thus now has come the time for the cessation of those things elaborated through types and for the teaching of the law intended for those in ancient times to fade, paving the way for the revelation of something more profound—the instruction contained within the Gospel. You ask, was this in accordance with the will of Him who established the earlier commandments through Moses for those of old? Yes, I affirm, and my conclusion stems not from my own reasoning, but is substantiated by prophetic evidence. God has declared through Isaiah, “And the laws of My people shall be made to disappear.” How has this occurred? As I indicated, they have been rendered ineffective through the revelation of a new and better commandment, which the Son has delivered to us directly and which He also proclaimed long ago via the prophet Ezekiel, addressing the people of Israel, “Behold, I will gather them from every land where I have scattered them in My anger, hot displeasure, and great wrath; and I will bring them back to this place, and make them dwell safely; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God; and I will give them another way and another heart, that they may fear Me all their days.” Therefore, another way has been bestowed upon them, as I stated previously, through the culmination of the legal service alongside the teachings rooted in writings and types, resulting in the emergence of the Gospel, the foundation and pathway of which is faith. This faith, expressed through a spiritual service, leads to justification and brings sanctification to those who draw near to God. That the institutions of Moses were destined to conclude, and that a new law and covenant were to be bestowed by Christ, can easily be discerned, as He explicitly states, “Behold, the days come, says the Lord, that I will establish a new covenant for the house of Israel and for the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not abide in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord.” He thus promises a new covenant; and as the sagacious Paul writes, “In that He said, a new, He has made the former one old; but that which is made old, and is growing old, is ready to vanish away.” Therefore, since the former covenant has become obsolete, it was essential for the new to replace it—and this was accomplished not through a prophet, but by the Lord of the prophets Himself. Why then, O Pharisee, do you grumble at the fulfillment of divinely inspired Scripture and the prophecies spoken by the holy prophets now coming to fruition?

At that time, the God-Man was not widely recognized as the Messiah by the populace, apart from a few individuals like John the Baptist and the righteous Simeon, who had received divine revelations regarding Him. Generally, He was acknowledged merely as an extraordinary Teacher whose fervent zeal led Him to perform remarkable acts. However, His fervor was now perceived differently: in His actions towards the merchants, they interpreted it as a messianic act, a direct challenge to the Jewish leadership overseeing the temple, heralding the expected social and religious upheaval accompanying the arrival of a significant descendant of David. In their vexation, various schemes were put forth to eliminate Jesus (Luke 19:47-48; Mark 11:18), but the loyalty of His followers rendered their plans unfeasible. Therefore, biding their time for an opportune moment to act, they resolved to attempt one more strategy - to send a delegation from the Sanhedrin to formally interrogate Him publicly regarding His actions and intentions. This strategy possessed considerable plausibility (Deuteronomy 17:18; 19:17; Ezekiel 64:15-24); moreover, it was undignified to stand by while a man claimed to be the Messiah without a thorough investigation. The people had long anticipated a formal inquiry concerning Jesus Christ. This approach appeared to be the most gentle and fair: taking Jesus into custody was to be avoided, and He could freely demonstrate the divinity of His claims. Meanwhile, His adversaries hoped that the inquiry would, if it did not destroy Him, at least severely undermine His goals. They likely anticipated that He would justify His actions by invoking His rights as the Messiah; such a proclamation could provide grounds for accusing Him of a transgression against the Roman authorities (Matt. 27:63; 27:11). To enhance the significance of the delegation and convey to the people that the Sanhedrin was not indifferent to the advent of the Messiah, envoys were selected from the various ranks within the Sanhedrin, including a few esteemed priests, elders, and scribes (Mark 11:27; Luke 20:1). When the Lord entered the temple and began teaching, those sent from the Sanhedrin approached Him with their questions. The extraordinary nature of their mission undoubtedly attracted considerable attention, as if the entire Jewish nation were presenting itself before its Messiah. For the disciples of Jesus, this delegation held particular significance. As Jewish citizens, they felt a duty to remain loyal and obedient to the highest authority of their people. By following Jesus, they disregarded the Sanhedrin's authority, believing they should heed the Messiah instead of men, and honor God rather than human judgement. Yet the people had not yet resolved the matter of Jesus’ status, which they had thought was settled; thus, they might be seen by some as disloyal offspring of the nation, placing their views above the judgement of their leaders. Now, it seemed that their homeland sought to render its judgement on Jesus once and for all. Who would be more invested in this judgement than those who had previously voiced their opinions and thus bore the weight of public sentiment? The concern of Jesus' disciples for their homeland's opinion is evident from the example of the Apostle Paul, who deemed it the gravest punishment to be regarded as a deceiver in his testimony about the Messiah (1 Cor. 15:15). The senior envoy began, "The Sanhedrin wishes to know its duty: by what authority (whether divine or human) do You perform these acts, receiving from the people the title of Son of David, entering Jerusalem triumphantly, and expelling the merchants from the temple? Who granted You this authority? Did you receive it directly from God, or was it endorsed by someone in direct communion with God?" The specificity and detail in their inquiry indicated that those posing the questions were among the scribes.

Was his mission of human origin or Divine? If they had acknowledged the latter, they would have feared the negative implications that might arise in their minds. Yet, they hesitated to dismiss it outright, apprehensive of inciting the populace, who regarded John as a prophet, against them. So, they replied ambiguously, “We do not know,” prompting the Lord to reply to their question in kind. Had they answered truthfully, they might have found themselves closer to resolving the very question they had raised.

However, they also feared denying it, as they had to respond in front of the people who regarded John as a prophet. Consequently, they replied, "We do not know." In turn, Jesus declined to provide them with a direct answer to their inquiry.

Following the enthusiastic reception on the day of His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, there was a collective expectation that He would proclaim Himself as the King of Israel, initiating the long-awaited Jewish dominion over the earth. Yet to everyone’s astonishment, He did not make such a declaration, and later that evening, He departed on foot with His twelve disciples to Bethany. This left many with doubts. Consequently, the impending trial of Jesus by the Sanhedrin was, in part, a reaction to the public's desire for accountability. It remains unclear whether it was a complete Sanhedrin assembly or merely a representative group that came to Jesus; however, given the significance of the task before them, it is reasonable to conclude that it represented the Sanhedrin as a whole rather than just a small delegation. Their entrance into the temple, where Jesus was already present, drew a large crowd. The members of the Sanhedrin quickly began their interrogation: "Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? (Mark 11:28)." Who conferred upon You the right to enter Jerusalem ceremoniously, to accept the title of Son of David from the people, to drive out the merchants from the temple, and to perform healings? Who granted you this authority? If the Sanhedrin had thoroughly and impartially examined all they knew about Jesus—information they possessed since they continuously observed Him—they would have long ago recognized His divine authority and identified Him as the Messiah. However, they lacked such objectivity. Fearful of losing their influence over the people and the privileges associated with it, they were willing to eliminate anyone, even the Messiah, who posed a threat to their power.