Luke 20:2

2 They said, "Tell us: What kind of authority do you have for doing these things? Who gave 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 On one of the days when Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests, legal experts, and elders approached him.

2 They said, "Tell us: What kind of authority do you have for doing these things? Who gave you this authority?"

3 He replied, "I have a question for you. Tell me:

4 Was John's baptism of heavenly or of human origin?"

5 They discussed among themselves, "If we say, ‘It's of heavenly origin,' he'll say, ‘Why didn't you believe him?'