And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders,
All Commentaries on Luke 20:1 Go To Luke 20
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
The Jews, to discredit him, said to the Lord, “By what authority are you doing these things? If you are the Christ, tell us openly.” They were looking for a pretext, not for faith. They wanted something by which to catch him, not something by which to be liberated. Notice what answer the one who could see their hearts gave to confound them with the lamp. He said, “I will also ask you one question. Tell me, John’s baptism, from where is it? Is it from heaven, or from men?” They were immediately sent staggering backward. Although the daylight was only shining gently, they were forced to fumble and blink, since they were unable to gaze at that brilliance. They took refuge in the darkness of their hearts, and there they began to get very agitated among themselves, stumbling and falling about. We might say that they said this to themselves where they were thinking, yet where he could see. If we say, “They said, ‘It is from heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why did you not believe him? He testified to Christ the Lord.’ If we say, ‘From men,’ the people will stone us, because they regarded John as a great prophet.” They said, “We do not know.” You do not know, because you are in darkness and are losing the light. After all, is not it much better, if darkness is occupying the human heart, to let the light in and not to lose it? When they said, “We do not know,” the Lord said, “Neither do I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. You see, I know in what mind you said ‘We do not know,’ not because you wish to be taught, but because you are afraid to confess.”
