Luke 20:2

2 and they said to him, [saying,] Say to us, in what power thou doest these things, or who is he that gave to thee this power?

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 was done in one of the days, when he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the princes of priests and [the] scribes came together with the elder men;

2 and they said to him, [saying,] Say to us, in what power thou doest these things, or who is he that gave to thee this power?

3 And Jesus answered, and said to them, And I shall ask you one word; answer ye to me. [Forsooth Jesus answering said to them, I shall ask you one word; answer ye to me.]

4 Was the baptism of John of heaven, or of men?

5 And they thought within themselves, saying, For if we [shall] say, Of heaven, he shall say, Why then believe ye not to him?