Jesus' authority was crucial not only for the Jewish leaders who opposed Him but for Luke's readers. This passage established Jesus' authority beyond reasonable doubt.
20:1-2 Luke's reference to Jesus preaching the gospel as well as the question of His authority to do so preview the experiences of Peter and Paul (cf. Acts 4:7). Individuals from the chief priests, scribes or lawyers, and elders made up the Sanhedrin. Thus their question constituted an official inquiry. The critics' first question dealt with who Jesus claimed to be and the second with whom He represented, Himself or some group.
"Jesus had upset the normal religious' atmosphere of the temple, which led the religious leaders to question His authority."446
20:3-6 Jesus' reply with a counter-question was common in rabbinic discussions.447He used "heaven"as a synonym for God. Luke recorded many instances of this practice. The Jewish leaders had opposed John the Baptist though the people followed him. Luke alone mentioned the leaders' fear of stoning. Stoning was the penalty for prophesying falsely (Deut. 13:1-11). Here the leaders feared that they might suffer the same fate for denying the legitimacy of a true prophet. Luke therefore hinted that the people who listened to Jesus were the faithful Israelites and that their leaders who rejected Him were worthy of stoning.
20:7-8 Luke recorded the leaders' confession that they did not know from where John received his authority. This was, of course, a deliberate evasion of Jesus' question. However their answer condemned them because as Israel's leaders they were responsible to evaluate the claims of professing prophets. Jesus used their refusal to answer His question as a reason not to answer theirs, but the implication was clear to everyone. He claimed the same authority as John, namely God. There was ample evidence of that in Jesus' ministry even though the critics refused to accept it.
