Luke 20:2

2 They asked him, "Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?"

Luke 20:2 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 20:2

And spoke unto him, saying, tell us by what authority
doest thou these things?
&c.] The Arabic and Ethiopic versions read, "this thing"; as if the sanhedrim only referred to his preaching the Gospel, which is mentioned in the preceding verse, and was what he was about when they came to him: but the Persic version reads, "all these things"; not only preaching, but working miracles; and particularly driving the buyers and sellers out of the temple, which especially affected them, they losing their rents thereby:

or who is he that gave thee this authority?
God or man? (See Gill on Matthew 21:23).

Luke 20:2 In-Context

1 It happened on one of those days, as he was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the Good News, that the chief Kohanim and Sofrim came to him with the Zakenim.

2 They asked him, "Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?"

3 He answered them, "I also will ask you one question. Tell me:

4 the immersion of Yochanan, was it from heaven, or from men?"

5 They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why didn't you believe him?'