John 1:25

1:25 So they asked John, ¹  “Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ, ²  nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

Matthew 21:23

The Authority of Jesus

21:23 Now after Jesus ³  entered the temple courts, ⁴  the chief priests and elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority ⁵  are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”

Mark 11:27-28

The Authority of Jesus

11:27 They came again to Jerusalem. ⁶  While Jesus ⁷  was walking in the temple courts, ⁸  the chief priests, the experts in the law, ⁹  and the elders came up to him 11:28 and said, “By what authority ¹⁰  are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?”

Luke 20:1-2

The Authority of Jesus

20:1 Now one ¹¹  day, as Jesus ¹²  was teaching the people in the temple courts ¹³  and proclaiming ¹⁴  the gospel, the chief priests and the experts in the law ¹⁵  with the elders came up ¹⁶  20:2 and said to him, ¹⁷  “Tell us: By what authority ¹⁸  are you doing these things? ¹⁹  Or who it is who gave you this authority?”

Acts 4:7

4:7 After ²⁰  making Peter and John ²¹  stand in their midst, they began to inquire, “By what power or by what name ²²  did you do this?”

Acts 5:28

5:28 saying, “We gave ²³  you strict orders ²⁴  not to teach in this name. ²⁵  Look, ²⁶  you have filled Jerusalem ²⁷  with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood ²⁸  on us!”

¹ tn Grk “And they asked him, and said to him”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity, and the phrase has been simplified in the translation to “So they asked John.”

² tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

³ tn Grk “he.”

⁴ tn Grk “the temple.”

⁵ tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ.1

⁶ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸ tn Grk “the temple.”

⁹ tn Or “the chief priests, the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.

¹⁰ tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ.

¹¹ tn Grk “Now it happened that one.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

¹² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹³ tn Grk “the temple.”

¹⁴ tn Or “preaching.”

¹⁵ tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

¹⁶ sn The chief priests and the experts in the law with the elders came up. The description is similar to Luke 19:47. The leaders are really watching Jesus at this point.

¹⁷ tn Grk “and said, saying to him.” This is redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

¹⁸ tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ.

¹⁹ sn The leadership is looking back to acts like the temple cleansing (19:45-48). How could a Galilean preacher do these things?

²⁰ tn Grk “And after.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new sentence is begun in the translation at the beginning of v. 7.

²¹ tn Grk “making them”; the referents (Peter and John) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

²² sn By what name. The issue of the “name” comes up again here. This question, meaning “by whose authority,” surfaces an old dispute (see Luke 20:1-8). Who speaks for God about the ancient faith?

²³ tc ‡ The majority of mss, including a few important witnesses (א² D E [Ψ] 1739 Ï sy sa), have the negative particle οὐ (ou) here, effectively turning the high priest’s words into a question: “Did we not give you strict orders not to teach in this name?” But the earliest and most important mss, along with some others (Ì⁷⁴ א* A B 1175 lat bo), lack the particle, making this a strong statement rather than a question. Scribes may have been tempted to omit the particle to strengthen the contrast between official Judaism and the new faith, but the fact that v. 27 introduces the quotation with ἐπηρώτησεν (ephrwthsen, “he questioned”) may well have prompted scribes to add οὐ to convert the rebuke into a question. Further, that excellent witnesses affirm the shorter reading is sufficient ground for accepting it as most probably authentic. NA²⁷ includes the particle in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.

²⁴ tn Grk “We commanded you with a commandment” (a Semitic idiom that is emphatic).

²⁵ sn The name (i.e., person) of Jesus is the constant issue of debate.

²⁶ tn Grk “And behold.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

²⁷ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

²⁸ sn To bring this man’s blood on us is an idiom meaning “you intend to make us guilty of this man’s death.”