And they answered that they knew not whence it was.
και απεκριθησαν μη ειδεναι ποθεν
7 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Through this inquiry, He silences them and reveals that if they could not accept the testimony of a prophet like John, whom they considered superior, how could they trust His response concerning the divine authority behind His actions? Whatever He stated, they would be capable of contorting and mocking it, just as they had disregarded the profound messages of John, who was esteemed among them.
Observe the profound malevolence of the Pharisees: they turn away from the truth, dismiss the light, and show no fear of sin. They were genuinely apprehensive about proclaiming the truth, fearing the response, ‘Why did you not place your faith in Him?’ However, they do not condemn the Forerunner; instead, they fear the people. As a result, they hide the truth and claim, ‘We do not know.’
In a similar manner, examine the explanation provided.
(Note: Keep the biblical reference unchanged as per your instructions.) Matthew 21:27
The Sanhedrin, having already resolved to condemn Him, sought merely to provide a façade of fairness and looked for an opportunity to accuse Him on religious or political grounds. They aimed to extract a statement from His words that could lead to accusations of spiritual misconduct or the suspicion of political beliefs. When they encountered the Lord again in the temple, the members of the Sanhedrin quickly inquired, By what authority does He perform such deeds? (This query likely extended beyond His actions in the temple to encompass all aspects of His ministry as the Messiah). Jesus, aware of their hidden motives, chose not to respond directly but instead posed a challenging question of His own that complicated their deceitful strategy: Who commissioned John to carry out his ministry?
Was his authority human or of divine origin? If they were to declare the latter, they would have faced uncomfortable implications in their own reasoning. Yet, they feared to deny it, as this could incite the populace, who regarded John as a prophet, against them. Therefore, they resorted to the ambiguous response, “We do not know,” prompting the Lord to reply in kind. Had they answered honestly, they might have ultimately arrived at the very answer to the question they themselves had raised.
When Jesus Christ entered the temple on Tuesday and began teaching, His discussions with the crowd were interrupted by the chief priests and scribes. They approached Him as a delegation from the Sanhedrin, similar to the delegation that had gone to John the Baptist (see John 1:19). They questioned Him about the source of His authority—whether it was divine or merely human—and who had granted Him this authority, prompting inquiries about His ordination to this role. In response, Jesus posed a question of His own: Was John a prophet or a deceiver? Acknowledging that John was indeed a prophet sent by God, this question from Jesus indirectly supplied an answer regarding His own identity. John had proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah.
The religious leaders recognized this implication but were unwilling to affirm it, choosing instead to avoid a definitive answer. They also feared giving a negative response since the crowd regarded John as a prophet. Ultimately, they replied, “We do not know!” Consequently, Jesus declined to provide them with a straightforward answer to their inquiry.
It is more appropriate to admit our ignorance, to which they responded, 'We do not know the source of this.' With this response, the Sanhedrin openly acknowledged its inability to assess the prophets and provide the people with guidance regarding them. If they cannot evaluate the prophets, they are even less equipped to judge the Messiah. Jesus then said, 'I will not reveal to you the authority by which I perform these works.'
It was impossible to dismiss this matter as insignificant. John openly and clearly testified about Jesus, acknowledging Him before the most esteemed members of the Sanhedrin, not merely as a prophet, but as a prophet far superior to himself, indeed, the greatest prophet, the Messiah. Did they recognize this declaration or not? It is evident that Christ had the right to demand a response from them before He provided an answer. However, they were unable, or rather unwilling, to respond. He had placed them in a predicament.
They could not say "from heaven," because they rejected that notion; yet they dared not assert "from men," as their faith in John—clearly corroborated even by Josephus Flavius—was so strong and unanimous that openly disavowing it would have endangered their personal safety. Thus, the esteemed teachers of Israel found themselves in the humiliating position of saying, "We do not know." Such a response from those entrusted with the study and teaching of the law and religion was a profound disgrace, made all the more shameful in front of the gathered crowd. Nevertheless, Christ, in His boundless mercy, chose not to press them further with questions. Instead, He simply replied, "And I will not tell you by what authority I do this," and continued to teach the people.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 5 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS