Luke 20:3-6
What is written? (ESV)
He answered them, I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? And they discussed it with one another, saying, If we say, From heaven, he will say, Why did you not believe him? But if we say, From man, all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.
What does it say?
Jesus challenged them [the chief priests and the scribes with elders] by asking by whose authority the baptism of John was from – whether from God or man. They discussed it among themselves and decided neither choice was good. If they said it was from God, Jesus would ask why they didn’t believe him and if they said it was from man, they would be stoned since the people were convinced that John was a prophet [from God].
What is its immediate context?
It is Jesus’ final week and He is teaching in the temple and “the chief priests and the scribes with the elders” (vs 1) have asked Him where His authority comes from (vs 2).
How Luke 20:3-6 is applied across Bible answers
What is the baptism of John the Baptist?
Jesus' question forced a decision to be made between whether the baptism of John was from God or from man.
Jesus refused to answer (vs 8) their challenge about where His authority came from (vs 2) when they refused to answer His question about where the baptism of John came from. However, it's clear Jesus' point is that both His and John's authority came from God, the Father.
