Luke 20:3

3 He answered them, "I will also ask you a question, and you tell me:

Luke 20:3 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 20:3

And he answered and said unto them
That is, Jesus replied to them, as the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Persic versions express it:

I will also ask you one thing, and answer me;
when he also promised, that if they would give him an answer to his question, he would satisfy them in the point they interrogated him about: and as this was a prudent decline to avoid the snare they laid for him, so it was not an impertinent reply to them; since it led on to a proper answer to their question, as appears by the case proposed; (See Gill on Matthew 21:24).

Luke 20:3 In-Context

1 One day, as he was teaching the people in the temple and telling the good news, the chief priests and the scribes came with the elders
2 and said to him, "Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?"
3 He answered them, "I will also ask you a question, and you tell me:
4 Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?"
5 They discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, "From heaven,' he will say, "Why did you not believe him?'
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.