Mark 11:30

30 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human? Answer me!”

Mark 11:30 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 11:30

The baptism of John
The doctrine of which he was the first preacher, and the ordinance of which he was the first administrator:

was it from heaven, or of men?
was it of divine or of human institution?

answer me;
directly and plainly, without any shuffling, or evasion: it is a fair question, and may be answered; and the answer to it our Lord suggests would naturally lead to a proper one to their question; (See Gill on Matthew 21:25).

Mark 11:30 In-Context

28 They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right to do them?”

29 “I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied.

30 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human? Answer me!”

31 They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John.

32 But do we dare say it was merely human?” For they were afraid of what the people would do, because everyone believed that John was a prophet.