Matthew 21:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"

NIV: Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you this authority?"

NASB: When He entered the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, 'By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?'

CSB: When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, "By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority?"

NLT: When Jesus returned to the Temple and began teaching, the leading priests and elders came up to him. They demanded, 'By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?'

KJV: And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?

NKJV: Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?”

The tension between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders continues to heat up as this week progresses. The "priests" approaching Him here held official leadership positions in the temple. They were likely members of the religious ruling body known as the Sanhedrin. They were less popular than the Pharisees but had more power since they were politically connected to the Romans. The elders with them were probably not priests but may have been from influential Jewish families and may have been on the Sanhedrin, as well.

Together, this group has come up with a question for Jesus and approached Him while He is teaching in the temple, probably somewhere in the outer courts. The question, itself, is actually a good one—but it's being asked in an insincere and corrupted way. It's not that this group wonders if they should listen to Christ. Rather, their motive is to stop Jesus from teaching, or possibly to discredit Him with the people by accusing Him of heresy.

By "these things," they mean to ask why Jesus thinks He can enter Jerusalem receiving the praise of the crowds as if He were the king and Messiah (Matthew 21:1–11), chasing the money-changers out of the temple (Matthew 21:12–13), and healing the lame and blind in the temple courts (Matthew 21:14–15). After all, Jesus does not hold any position of official human authority beyond being known as a "rabbi," teacher. He is not a member of the Sanhedrin or an officially commissioned priest or Pharisee or scribe. What gives Him the right to act and teach in these ways?

Jesus, knowing their motives, will not answer their question directly. The parables He provides, however, along with His other teachings, make the answer clear to those who sincerely want to know (John 5:19–24). Those who will come to believe in Him, though, will understand that Jesus acts and speaks under the authority of His Father, who is God. He represents God on earth and acts with the full authority of God in all He says and does.

Matthew 21:23–27 finds Jesus in the temple as He is challenged by priests and elders. They want to know by what authority Jesus acts. He agrees to answer if they will answer Him: Was John the Baptist's baptism from heaven or from earth? The religious leaders know that if they say he was a prophet, Jesus will ask why they didn't believe and repent. If they say John was not a prophet, though, the people will be upset. They say they don't know. Jesus does not answer their question.

Jesus fulfills a prophecy from Zechariah about the coming of the king to Jerusalem by riding in on a donkey. The people celebrate and praise Him as the Messiah. Jesus drives the marketers and moneychangers out of the temple and heals some people. He curses a fig tree and tells the disciples nothing will be impossible for them with faith. Jesus forces cowardly and hypocritical religious leaders to back down with a question about John the Baptist. He then exposes their fraudulent spirituality with two parables about vineyards. Jesus applies to Himself a psalm about a rejected stone being made the cornerstone by the Lord.

Matthew 21 finds Jesus arriving near Jerusalem after leaving Jericho in the previous chapter. His triumphal entry is accomplished riding a donkey, and to raucous praise, fulfilling a prophecy about the Messiah. Jesus cleanses the marketplace from the temple, heals, and presents lessons about faith and Israel's failed leadership. This leads into further conversations which Matthew compiles from Jesus' interactions with the Pharisees.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.