The Authority

Mark 11:26-33

26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

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 reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; He will say, Why then did ye not believe him?

32 But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.

33 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."

Mark 11:26 is widely regarded as a later addition, absent from the earliest and most reliable Greek manuscripts. It appears to have been borrowed from Matthew 6:15. Where included, it underscores that failure to forgive others means God will not forgive our trespasses, highlighting relational forgiveness, not loss of salvation.

In Mark 11:27–33, the chief priests, scribes, and elders confront Jesus in the temple, demanding the source of His authority after He cleansed it. Jesus replies with a counter-question about John’s baptism: was it from heaven or from men?

They reason among themselves: claiming it was from heaven would expose their unbelief; claiming it was from men would provoke the crowd, who held John to be a true prophet. Trapped by hypocrisy and fear, they answer, “We cannot tell.” Jesus then refuses to disclose His authority to those who had already rejected John’s witness and sought only to trap Him.

Reflection: How do you honor God’s authority in your decision-making?