Question of Authority

One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?” “Let me ask you a question first,” he replied. “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”
They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.” So they finally replied that they didn’t know.
And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Luke 20:1-8 

Have you figured out that the Scribes and Pharisees thought they were, not only wise and pious, but clever?  Jesus had just ridden into Jerusalem on the young donkey colt. Why?  If He had ridden in galloping on a horse, the Scribes and Pharisees could have gone to the Governor claiming Jesus was inciting the people to riot.  Instead, Jesus didn't just come in on a docile donkey, but to further prove His point, He rode in on a colt of the docile donkey, much to the irritation of the "Church Folk."

Jesus was teaching in the Temple and the people who heard Him were interested by His message, which further irritated the "Church Folk." So they come up with a plan to trick Jesus...they will ask Him by whose authority is He teaching His message, because if Jesus says His authority is His own, He will be discrediting Himself. HOWEVER, if He says His authority is from Heaven, then they can have Him arrested for blasphemy.  In their minds, it is a flawless plan.

So, they confront Jesus IN FRONT OF the people who came to hear His message and ask by what authority He is preaching and were probably chuckling to themselves at their own cleverness.  Jesus, however, completely derails their cunning scheme by asking them if John's authority to baptize come from Heaven or from himself.  The Scribes and Pharisees huddled us and began trying to salvage their scheme by telling Jesus that they didn't know where John's authority came from.  And Jesus told them He wasn't going to reveal the source of His authority either.

Jesus' authority came directly from God!  End of story!