{"id":725,"date":"2026-03-04T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?p=725&2026"},"modified":"2026-03-02T17:00:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T00:00:07","slug":"sidestepping-the-question-matthew-21-23-27","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/sidestepping-the-question-matthew-21-23-27\/","title":{"rendered":"Sidestepping the Question: Matthew 21:23-27"},"content":{"rendered":"
Focus Passage: Matthew 21:23-27 (CEV)<\/div>
\r\n

23\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus had gone into the temple and was teaching when the chief priests and the leaders of the people came up to him. They asked, \u201cWhat right do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?\u201d<\/p>

24\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus answered, \u201cI have just one question to ask you. If you answer it, I will tell you where I got the right to do these things. 25\u00a0<\/sup>Who gave John the right to baptize? Was it God in heaven or merely some human being?\u201d<\/p>

They thought it over and said to each other, \u201cWe can\u2019t say that God gave John this right. Jesus will ask us why we didn\u2019t believe John. 26\u00a0<\/sup>On the other hand, these people think that John was a prophet, and we are afraid of what they might do to us. That\u2019s why we can\u2019t say that it was merely some human who gave John the right to baptize.\u201d 27\u00a0<\/sup>So they told Jesus, \u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>

Jesus said, \u201cThen I won\u2019t tell you who gave me the right to do what I do.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Read Matthew 21:23-27<\/a> in context and\/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!<\/p><\/div><\/div>\r\n

During one of the times Jesus visited the temple, the religious leaders demand to know what gave Jesus the right to do what He did. These leaders wanted to know who gave Jesus the authority to speak and act the way He did.<\/p>\r\n

However, while this sounds petty, it is actually a trap in disguise. The two possible answers are from God, or from a human. Either way Jesus answers, He incriminates Himself. Saying His authority is from God would be seen as blasphemy, but saying His authority is from a human would both be lying and it would cause Him to lose credibility.<\/p>\r\n

But Jesus can see the trap, and He has a response. Jesus asks a similar counter-question with the same two options: Was John given the right to baptize from God or from a human?<\/em><\/p>\r\n

It is in the Pharisees response and Jesus\u2019 final statement that I see a big idea.<\/p>\r\n

After talking it over, the Pharisees respond by saying, \u201cWe don\u2019t know.<\/strong>\u201d (v. 27a)<\/p>\r\n

The Pharisees fake ignorance because they don\u2019t want to admit they share a different belief than the crowd. The crowd believed the answer to Jesus\u2019 counter-question to be God, and the Pharisees were worried that if they answered contrary to the popular belief surrounding John, then they would upset the crowd.<\/p>\r\n

Knowing full well that these leaders were simply avoiding the question, Jesus responds by saying: \u201cThen I won\u2019t tell you who gave me the right to do what I do.<\/strong>\u201d (v. 27b)<\/p>\r\n

While the leaders\u2019 fake ignorance, Jesus simply says He won\u2019t share His answer. Jesus does have an answer, but He sidesteps the question \u2013 because it is one that is better for Him not to directly answer.<\/p>\r\n

Jesus could have simply responded that He got His authority from the same place as John, but that would have given an answer that would play to the biased beliefs of each group of people present. Instead of trying to be clever, Jesus simply calls out the fake answer, and says that it isn\u2019t good enough to get a response from Him.<\/p>\r\n

This also tells me that sometimes it is okay to admit that we don\u2019t know, but it is never okay to sidestep the issue of who Jesus is to us personally.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus<\/strong> \u201cReflective Bible Study\u201d package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here<\/a> and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!<\/em><\/p>

Subscribe<\/a> to this blog and never miss an insight.<\/em><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"During one of the times Jesus visited the temple, the religious leaders demand to know what gave Jesus the right to do what He did. These leaders wanted to know who gave Jesus the authority to speak and act the way He did. However, while this sounds petty, it is actually a trap in disguise. 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