Jesus entered the temple courts, and the chiefs priests and elders of the people approached Him while He was teaching. They asked Him by what authority is He doing all these things, and who gave it to Him?
Jesus replied that He wanted to ask them a question too, and if they answered it He would answer theirs. The question was where did John’s baptism come from? Was it from heaven or of human origin?
They discussed this question and knew that if they said heaven, they would be questioned on why they didn’t believe him, and if they said human they were fearful of the people who hold John as a prophet.
They answered and said they didn’t know.
So Jesus said we’ll then neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
Jesus knew that if He answered their question He would fall into their trap. He knew it wasn’t quite time for everything to take place. He used their plan of attack and turned it around on them. What’s interesting is that their questioning came in the middle of Him teaching. Sometimes it’s important to remember that the attacks from the enemy can happen anywhere at any time, so we always need to be on guard to defend against it. Be ready…do the good work…and when the attack comes be ready to defend against it.
A Journey With Jesus 