And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them,
Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
All Commentaries on Matthew 21:27 Go To Matthew 21
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
In Joan. Tr., v. 4: 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 orafter him was entrusted with a baptism to be called from himself. For John cameto baptize in the water of repentance, to prepare the way for the Lord, not to give inward cleansing, which mere man cannot do. 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. "In saying that they knew not, they lied; and it might have followed upon their answering thus, that the Lord also should say, I know not; but truth cannot lie, and therefore it follows, “And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. "This shows that they knew, but would not answer, and that He also knew, but would not answer, because they would not speak what they knew.
