Luke 20:2

2 And spoke to him, saying, Tell us, By what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee 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 And it came to pass, [that] on one of those days, as he was teaching the people in the temple, and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon [him], with the elders,

2 And spoke to him, saying, Tell us, By what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?

3 And he answered and said to them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me:

4 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men?

5 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not?