Mark 11:33

So they answered Jesus, “We do not know where John got his authority.” Then Jesus said to them, “ Because you did not answer my question, I will not tell you who authorized me to do those things here yesterday.”

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.

In Context

32On the other hand, if we say that it was people who authorized John, then what will happen to us?” They were afraid to say that about where John got his authority, because they knew that the people would be very angry with them. They knew that all the people truly believed that John was a prophet whom God had sent.

Read all of Mark 11

Cross References

Proverbs 26:4If a foolish person asks a foolish question, do not answer him, because if you answer his question, you are just as foolish as he is.

Isaiah 6:9Then he said, “ Okay, go, and say to the Israeli people, ‘You will listen carefully to what I say, but you will not understand it. You will look very carefully at the things that I am doing, but you will not understand them.’

Isaiah 42:19No people are [RHQ] as blind as my people, who should have been serving me. No people are [RHQ] as much like [MET] deaf people as the Israelis, who should have been my messengers. No people are [RHQ] as much like [MET] blind people as those whom I chose to serve me.

Jeremiah 8:7All the birds that fly south for the ◄winter/cold season► know the time that they need to fly south, and they all return at the right time the following year. But my people are not like those birds! They do not know what I, Yahweh, require them to do.

Malachi 2:7What priests say [MTY] should enable more people to know about me, and people should go to them [MTY] to be taught what I want them to know, because priests should be messengers from me, the Commander of the armies of angels.

Matthew 16:4You evil people have seen me perform miracles but you do not faithfully worship God [MET]. You want to see me perform a miracle that would prove that God has sent me. But God will enable you to see only one miracle. It will be like what happened [MET] to Jonah, the prophet, who was inside a huge fish for three days and then came out of it to live again.” Then Jesus left them and sailed away, along with us disciples.

Matthew Henry on Mark 11:28-33

The Pharisees Nonplussed. 27 And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, 28 And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things? 29 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me. 31 And they… Read the whole commentary →

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