And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering said unto them,
Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.
All Commentaries on Mark 11:33 Go To Mark 11
Bede
AD 735
But we must observe that there is adifference in those who pray; he who has perfect faith, which worketh by love, can by his prayer or even his command remove spiritual mountains, as Paul did with Elymas the sorcerer. But let those who are unable to mount up to such aheight of perfection pray that their sins should be forgiven them, and they shall obtain what they pray for, provided that they themselves first forgive those who have sinned against them. If however they disdain to do this, not only shall they be unable to perform miracles by their prayers, but they shallnot even be able to obtain pardon for their sins, which is implied in what follows; “But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”.
And, indeed, when they say, “By what authority doest thou these things,” they doubt its being the power of God, and wish it to be understood that what He did was the devil’s work. When they add also, “Who gave thee this authority,” they evidently deny that He is the Son of God, since they believe He works miracles, not by His own but by another's power.
