Mark 11:33Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

They were angry with the Lord, for having cast out of the temple those who had made it a place of merchandize, and therefore they come up to Him, to question and tempt Him. Wherefore it is said: And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the Chief Priests, and the Scribes, and the elders, and say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee authority to do these things? As if they had said, Who art thou that doest these things? Dost thou make thyself a doctor, and ordain thyself Chief Priest?

They envied the Lamp, and were in the dark, wherefore it is said, I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed; his enemies will I clothe with shame. (Ps. 132:17, 18) There follows: And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.

The Lord might indeed have confuted the cavils of his tempters by a direct answer, but prudently puts them a question, that they might be condemned either by their silence or their speaking, which is evident from what is added, And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him? As if He had said, He whom you confess to have had his prophecy from heaven bore testimony of Me, and ye have heard from him, by what authority I do these things. It goes on: But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people. They saw then that whatever they answered, they should fall into a snare; fearing to be stoned, they feared still more the confession of the truth. Wherefore it goes on: And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell.

The Sanhedrin, having already resolved to condemn Him to death, sought merely to create an illusion of justice and looked for an opportunity to accuse Him on grounds of either religious or political nature. They aimed to extract from His words something that could be construed as ecclesiastical misconduct or raise suspicions about His political views. When they encountered the Lord again in the temple, they quickly, through their members, inquired, By what authority does He perform such acts? This question likely pertained not only to His actions within the temple but also encompassed all His activities as the Messiah. The Lord, aware of their hidden motives, chose not to respond directly. Instead, He turned the question back on them, presenting a challenge to their duplicitous strategy.

On Tuesday, when Jesus entered the temple and began to teach, He was approached by the chief priests and scribes who interrupted His discussions with the people. They came as a delegation from the Sanhedrin, much like the one sent to John the Baptist (as noted in John 1:19). They questioned Him regarding the authority by which He was conducting His actions—whether it was divine or merely human—specifically asking who had granted Him this authority, by which means He had been appointed to His role. In response, Jesus posed a question of His own: "Was John a prophet or an imposter?" Given the clear knowledge that John was indeed a prophet sent from God, Jesus's question indirectly revealed His own identity. John had testified that Jesus was the Messiah.

It is more appropriate to acknowledge our ignorance, to which they responded, 'We do not know the source.' This response revealed the Sanhedrin's inability to evaluate the prophets and provide the people with sound guidance regarding them. If they cannot assess the prophets, they are even less equipped to judge the Messiah. ‘And I will not disclose to you the authority by which I perform these deeds,’ Jesus stated.

There was silence in response to the inquiry, as they comprehended the implications and intention behind the question. They could not dismiss it as inconsequential. John boldly bore witness to Jesus, acknowledging Him in front of the highest authorities of the Sanhedrin, affirming Him not just as a prophet but as the foremost prophet, the Messiah Himself. Did they accept this testament or not? It was evident that Christ was justified in seeking an answer to this inquiry before He responded to them. However, they were unable, or more accurately unwilling, to provide an answer.

The response of the Lord to the inquiries made by the chief priests, scribes, and elders regarding the authority behind His actions is presented in Mark similarly to its depiction in Hebrews. This account in Mark mirrors that of Matthew, characterized by a consistent structure and content, without any unique features that typically set Matthew's narratives apart. This connection can be observed in Matthew 21:23-27.