NOTES for Luk 20:1-8
1 And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders, |
2 And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority? |
3 And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: |
4 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? |
5 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not? |
6 But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. |
7 And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was. |
8 And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. |
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The scene described in today's Gospel reading is remarkable for the Savior's wisdom and, one may even say, wit. Yet let us try to enter into its theological meaning, because unlike our ordinary human habit, Christ shows wit not for the sake of wit itself.
Why does He speak specifically about John? The main point is that John appears as the Forerunner of Christ not only in the historical, event-based sense, but also in the spiritual sense. He proclaims repentance, without which coming to Christ is impossible. That is why the Lord gives those who question Him no answer: giving it would be meaningless, just as it is meaningless to explain integral calculus to someone who has not yet mastered arithmetic.
The fact that John brings us only to the first step is also shown by the episode from the book of Acts (19:1-6): "He said to them, Into what then were you baptized? They answered, Into John's baptism. Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."
And although now we are not formally baptized with John's baptism, since spiritually it has been joined to Jesus' baptism, in practice we live through it as that very repentance which brings us into the church. Let us remember that our Lord, who has no need of repentance, also passes through baptism by John in order to show us the way, for He is "the way, and the truth, and the life." And it is precisely this way that He recalls to the chief priests, scribes, and elders who question Him.
Readings for 2 April 2026
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