Matthew 21:27Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Forasmuch as they could not detract from His miracles, they bring matter of blame from His forbidding to sell in the Temple. As though they had said, Hast Thou assumed the seat of authority? Hast Thou been anointed Priest, that Thou exertest this power?

How does Christ, who embodies Wisdom, respond to them? He ensnares the cunning in their own schemes. Similarly, He inquires about John, so that if they declare, "John's message was divine," He can hold them accountable for opposing God by not accepting it. Conversely, if they assert, "It was of human origin," He risks provoking the wrath of the people, who revered John as a prophet. Through this interaction, the Lord instructs us on the importance of answering questions without malice. Christ refrained from responding to the deceptive inquiries of the Jews, even though He could have easily provided a clear answer. From His example, we learn the value of humility; although the Lord possessed the authority to clarify His actions, He chose silence to avoid the appearance of self-promotion.

John received his authority to baptize from Him, whom he afterwards baptized; and that baptism which was committed to him is here called the baptism of John. He alone received such a gift; no righteous man before or after him was entrusted with a baptism to be called from himself. For John came to baptize in the water of repentance, to prepare the way for the Lord, not to give inward cleansing, which mere man cannot do.

What the Priests revolved in their malice is shewn when he adds, But they reasoned with themselves. For had they replied that it was from heaven, the question was inevitable, Why then were ye not baptized by John? But should they reply that it was an invention of human device, and had in it nothing divine, they feared a tumult among the people. For all the assembled multitudes had received John’s baptism, and held him accordingly for a Prophet. This godless party therefore make answer, and by a seeming humility of speech confessing that they know not, turned to hide their insidious designs. And they answered Jesus, and said, We know not.

They required instruction on the divine origin of baptism and the divine mission of John; however, in order to avoid criticism and not appear as if they lacked faith, they hid the truth. Thus, Christ declares, ‘And I will not tell you what you desire to know, not because I hide the truth as you do, but because I deem you unworthy of an answer, as you act deceitfully.’

But some one will say in opposition to this, that it was absurd to ask by what authority Jesus did these things. For that it could not be that He would answer, that He did these by the Devil’s authority; and He would not tell them as it truly was, that He did them by His own power. If it should be said, that the rulers put this question to Him in order to deter Him from His proceedings; as when we say to one who is dealing with what is ours in a way which we do not like, we say to him, Who bade thee do this? meaning to deter him from what he is so doing;—if it is to be taken so, what means Christ’s answer, Do you tell Me this, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Perhaps therefore, the place should be understood as follows.

There are two reasons why the knowledge of truth should be kept back from those who ask; either when he who asks is unfit to receive, or from his hatred or contempt of the truth is unworthy to have that which he asks opened to him.

When the Lord inquired about John the Baptist, the bishops and elders realized that regardless of their response, they would face unfavorable consequences. Consequently, they opted to feign ignorance. Their vested interests silenced them and prevented them from proclaiming the truth. Had they cherished the truth more than their own desires, their discourse and motivations would have differed significantly. Self-serving intentions obscure the truth, hindering it from penetrating the heart and stifling the development of genuine conviction, leading to indifference. This pattern remains constant: selfish pursuits are the primary adversaries of truth, followed by various other challenges that arise through their means.

He did not express, “And I do not know.” It was as though He conveyed, “You are aware because you are human, yet you reject this knowledge due to your evil nature; I understand because I am divine, but I will withhold it from you since you are unworthy. Deceivers, lacking an audience to mislead, will deceive themselves. Similarly, truth, if it has no one to redeem, will not endure suffering.”

As they concealed their anger, they responded to Jesus, "We do not know the origin of John's baptism; our Sanhedrin has not yet reached a conclusion on this matter." How humiliated and ashamed the haughty members of the Sanhedrin must have felt! They, the pledged interpreters of Holy Scripture and esteemed teachers of the people, were now forced to publicly admit their incompetence in recognizing the honor due to the prophets, all while debating the identity of Jesus. This experience must have been an unforgivable and unforgettable disgrace. Nevertheless, they managed to carry this national shame with a semblance of dignity. The question they aimed to use against the Lord ended up reflecting poorly on them, leaving them in an uncomfortable state of embarrassment and shame.

The Sanhedrin, having already resolved to sentence Him to death, aimed to create an illusion of justice and sought a pretext to accuse Him on either religious or political grounds. They wished to derive something from His words that could charge Him with ecclesiastical misconduct or imply suspicious political views. When they encountered the Lord again in the temple, they immediately posed a question through their members: By what authority does He perform such deeds? This inquiry likely pertained not only to His actions in the temple but encompassed all that He undertook as the Messiah. The Lord discerned their hidden intentions and, rather than respond directly, turned the question back to them, challenging their deceptive agenda. Who granted John the authority to act in this manner?

When Jesus Christ entered the temple on Tuesday and began teaching, His discussions with the crowd were interrupted by the chief priests and the scribes. They approached Him as representatives from the Sanhedrin, much like a previous delegation sent to John the Baptist (John 1:19, etc.), and inquired about the source of His authority—was it of divine origin or merely human? They wanted to know who had conferred this authority upon Him and by what means He had assumed this role. In response, Christ posed a question of His own: Was John the Baptist a prophet or a deceiver? Since it was evident that John was indeed a prophet sent by God, Christ's question offered a clear, albeit indirect, response regarding His own identity, as John had testified about Jesus being the Messiah.

It is more appropriate to acknowledge our ignorance, to which they responded, 'We do not know the source of this.' With this reply, the Sanhedrin openly admitted its inability to assess the prophets or provide the people with direction regarding them. If it is unable to evaluate the prophets, it is even less capable of assessing the Messiah. 'And I will not disclose the authority by which I act,' Jesus responded to them.

Consequently, the religious leaders of Israel found themselves in the embarrassing position of declaring, “We do not know.” This response from those tasked with studying and elucidating the law and faith was a profound disgrace, particularly since it was made in front of a large crowd. Yet, in His boundless mercy, Christ chose not to press them for further answers but simply responded, “And I will not tell you by what authority I do this,” and thereafter continued to teach the people.

I will inquire of you one matter: rather than addressing their malicious inquiry directly, the Lord skillfully ensnares those who aimed to entrap Him with their words. They had the opportunity to understand the authority under which He operated, yet they chose ignorance. By guiding them to reflect on John the Baptist, the Lord forced them to acknowledge their own dishonesty. The ministry of Jesus was an extension of John’s, both deriving from the same divine Source. The Lord posed the question, “Where was John's baptism from?” This inquiry encapsulated the essence of John’s entire mission as God’s messenger, prophet, teacher, and forerunner of Christ.

At that moment, the adversaries of Christ, harboring ill intentions within, chose to admit their uncertainty, declaring, ‘We do not know from where.’ The Lord Jesus replied, ‘Neither do I tell you by what authority I perform these works.’ By referencing the ministry of John, all that was needed to challenge the Sanhedrin was expressed; this group first failed to acknowledge the Lord's Forerunner and subsequently denied the Messiah Himself.