27 They returned to Jerusalem, and as he was walking in the Temple, the chief priests, religious teachers, and the leaders approached him. 28 "By what authority are you doing all this?" they demanded. "Who gave you the right?"
29 "Let me ask you a question," Jesus told them. "You answer me, and I’ll tell you by whose authority I do these things. 30 John’s baptism—did that come from heaven, or from people?"
31 They discussed it among themselves. They said, "If we say it’s from heaven, he’ll reply, ‘So why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, it’s of human origin, well…" They were afraid of the crowd, because everyone believed that John was a true prophet.
33 So they answered Jesus, "We don’t know."
"Then I’m not telling you by whose authority I do these things," replied Jesus.