Luke 20:7 kjv
And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was.
Luke 20:7 nkjv
So they answered that they did not know where it was from.
Luke 20:7 niv
So they answered, "We don't know where it was from."
Luke 20:7 esv
So they answered that they did not know where it came from.
Luke 20:7 nlt
So they finally replied that they didn't know.
Luke 20 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mt 21:27 | So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.”… | Direct parallel in Matthew's Gospel. |
| Mk 11:33 | They answered Jesus, “We do not know.”… | Direct parallel in Mark's Gospel. |
| Lk 7:30 | But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves… | Religious leaders rejected God's counsel. |
| Jn 12:42-43 | Many even among the leading officials believed in him… yet for fear of the Pharisees… did not confess him… for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. | Fear of man overriding confession of truth. |
| Prov 29:25 | The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. | Fear of man's influence on actions. |
| Isa 51:12-13 | ...Who are you, that you should fear man who dies… | Reminder not to fear mortals over God. |
| Lk 20:4 | He answered them, “I also will ask you a question… Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” | Jesus' preceding question, trapping them. |
| Lk 19:47-48 | ...but the chief priests and the scribes… sought to destroy him, but they could not find what they might do, for all the people were hanging on his words. | Leaders' fear of the people's favor towards Jesus. |
| Mt 26:5 | ...not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people. | Leaders feared popular disturbance. |
| Jn 1:6-7 | There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness… | John's divine commission. |
| Lk 1:13 | ...you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. | Prophecy of John's divinely ordained birth. |
| Acts 19:4 | And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance… | Paul affirms John's spiritual ministry. |
| Lk 11:53-54 | And as he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard, and to provoke him to speak of many things, lying in wait for him… | Leaders sought to entrap Jesus in His words. |
| Mk 12:13 | And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to catch him in his words. | Similar attempts to catch Jesus. |
| Lk 20:26 | So they were not able to catch him in what he said before the people, and amazed by his answer, they became silent. | Jesus' wisdom overcame their traps. |
| Lk 21:15 | For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. | Jesus' promised divine wisdom to His followers. |
| Ps 5:6 | You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. | God's stance against deceit. |
| Prov 19:1 | Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways. | Value of integrity over dishonest gain. |
| Jer 9:5 | ...and they teach their tongues to speak lies; they wear themselves out with perversity. | Warning against habitual deceit. |
| Isa 59:3-4 | For your hands are defiled with blood… For your hands are defiled with blood… No one enters suit justly; no one goes to trial honestly… They rely on empty words and speak lies… | Societal decay due to deceit and injustice. |
| Lk 11:52 | Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.” | Leaders hoarding spiritual truth. |
| Mt 23:13 | Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven against men… | Condemnation of religious leaders' hypocrisy. |
| Acts 7:51 | “You stiff-necked people… You always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.” | Resisting the Holy Spirit, like their fathers. |
| Ex 5:2 | But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.” | Pharaoh's arrogant refusal of divine command. |
Luke 20 verses
Luke 20 7 Meaning
Luke 20:7 states the calculated refusal of the chief priests, scribes, and elders to answer Jesus' direct question regarding the divine or human origin of John the Baptist's authority. Their declaration of "not knowing" was not a genuine admission of ignorance but a deliberate evasion, a diplomatic falsehood born out of fear of public opinion and the loss of their own power and reputation, rather than a commitment to truth or the fear of God.
Luke 20 7 Context
The setting for Luke 20:7 is the Jerusalem Temple during Passion Week, shortly after Jesus' triumphal entry (Lk 19:28-44). Jesus is teaching, and the chief priests, scribes, and elders—the spiritual and political leadership of Israel—confront Him, questioning His authority (Lk 20:1-2). This confrontation highlights the deep conflict between Jesus and the established religious order. Jesus, knowing their motives were to trap Him, turned the tables by asking them about John the Baptist's authority. Their subsequent refusal to answer directly (Lk 20:7) reveals their hypocrisy and their fear of the people more than their reverence for God's truth. This specific incident sets the stage for Jesus' ensuing parables (e.g., the Wicked Tenants, Lk 20:9-19) that directly expose their rebellion and anticipate their ultimate rejection of Him. Historically, these leaders were keen to maintain their status, popular support, and precarious relationship with Roman authorities, making them wary of any public stance that could jeopardize their power. John the Baptist's wide popularity meant a negative statement about his origin would incite the people, while an affirmative one would expose their own unbelief since they had not followed John.
Luke 20 7 Word analysis
- And they answered: (Greek: Καὶ ἀπεκρίθησαν, Kai apekrithesan) - The conjunction "and" signifies a direct consequence to Jesus' question. "Answered" is in the aorist tense, denoting a completed action, suggesting a firm, decisive, and collective response from the Sanhedrin members. It highlights their unified, though evasive, position.
- that they did not know: (Greek: μὴ οἴδαμεν, mē oidamen) - The particle μὴ (mē) functions as a strong negative, emphasizing a definite rejection or denial. Οἴδαμεν (oidamen), from οἶδα (oida), means "we know." The combination is a blunt statement, but contextually, it’s not an admission of genuine ignorance. Instead, it’s a strategic assertion of non-knowledge, or a refusal to acknowledge what they indeed understood, to escape Jesus’ trap. This signifies intellectual and spiritual dishonesty.
- where it was from: (Greek: πόθεν, pothen) - This interrogative adverb means "from where" or "whence." It probes the origin or source of John the Baptist's authority. Their evasion concerning the source revealed their deeper unwillingness to submit to any authority that did not serve their self-interests, especially if it was divine authority challenging their own.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- And they answered that they did not know where it was from: This phrase succinctly captures the cunning and hypocrisy of the religious leaders. Their collective "answer" was designed to evade, not inform. They claimed ignorance not because they were genuinely uninformed about John’s popularity or his perceived divine inspiration by the people, but because any truthful answer (either "from heaven" or "from man") would have immediately put them in an untenable position with either Jesus or the crowd. This statement serves as a chilling expose of leaders who prioritized self-preservation and public image over acknowledging divine truth. It reveals a fundamental flaw: their fear of human reaction outweighed their reverence for divine truth and judgment, demonstrating a spiritual blindness and hardness of heart.
Luke 20 7 Bonus section
- The deliberate evasion by the religious leaders here is a precursor to their complete rejection of Jesus, who explicitly told them that the Kingdom of God would be taken from them (Mt 21:43).
- Their "not knowing" serves as an ironic fulfillment of prophecies concerning the spiritual blindness of leaders in Israel (Isa 6:9-10).
- This verse emphasizes the difference between true wisdom (from God) and earthly wisdom (human cunning), contrasting Jesus' divine insight with their manipulative tactics (Jas 3:15-17).
- The incident highlights that true authority (divine) compels integrity, while self-proclaimed or worldly authority often resorts to deception to maintain its power.
Luke 20 7 Commentary
Luke 20:7 serves as a pivotal moment, exposing the moral and spiritual bankruptcy of Israel's religious leadership. Jesus, as the master teacher, corners His adversaries not by overpowering them with superior rhetoric, but by using a simple, unanswerable question. The chief priests, scribes, and elders, tasked with spiritual discernment, reveal their spiritual incapacitation by their "we do not know" response. This was a lie born of cowardice and expediency, showing their profound self-interest. They had a vested interest in maintaining their authority and did not wish to alienate the common people who esteemed John as a prophet, nor did they wish to endorse John's authority as divine, for that would validate his witness about Jesus and expose their own unbelief and lack of repentance. Their calculated ambiguity highlights their corrupt spiritual state, demonstrating their prioritization of reputation over truth. This unwillingness to confront truth prepared the ground for their ultimate rejection and crucifixion of Christ Himself, showing that a hard heart prefers calculated evasion to the humble admission of truth. This act of disingenuousness set the tone for the continued confrontations throughout this chapter, where Jesus systematically exposes their flawed teachings and intentions.