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Matthew 21:23
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21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, aif you have faith and bdo not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, cbut also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done.  
22 And awhatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”  

Jesus’ Authority Questioned

23 aNow when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and bsaid, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?”  
24 But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:
25 The abaptism of bJohn—where was it from? From heaven or from men?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’  
26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we afear the multitude, bfor all count John as a prophet.”  
27 So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

28 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my avineyard.’  
29 He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went.
Commentaries:
Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?
<< Matthew 21:22   Matthew 21:24 >>

What Does Matthew 21:23 Mean?



Matthew 21:23

"These things" most specifically refers to what happened earlier in the chapter. He made His triumphal entry into the city on the back of a donkey, and the people shouted "Hosanna to the Lord!" A great multitude of people wished Him well. From there, He went into the Temple area and overturned the moneychangers' tables and disrupted those who were selling sacrificial animals. This was a direct affront to those who were in charge of the Temple and the Sanhedrin, so their question to Him is: "Who gave You the authority to do these things?"

John W. Ritenbaugh
The Sin of Self-Deception

Related Topics: Hosanna to the Lord | Jesus Christ Overturning Moneychanger's Tables | Jesus Christ's Authority | Jesus Christ's Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem | Moneychangers in Temple | Sanhedrin




Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Matthew 21:23:

Matthew 21:33-44


 
<< Matthew 21:22   Matthew 21:24 >>

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