Luke 20:2

2 and spake unto him, saying, `Tell us by what authority thou dost these things? or who is he that gave to 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, on one of those days, as he is teaching the people in the temple, and proclaiming good news, the chief priests and the scribes, with the elders, came upon [him],

2 and spake unto him, saying, `Tell us by what authority thou dost these things? or who is he that gave to thee this authority?'

3 And he answering said unto them, `I will question you -- I also -- one thing, and tell me:

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

5 And they reasoned with themselves, saying -- `If we may say, From heaven, he will say, Wherefore, then, did ye not believe him?