Luke § 99

(de con. Ev. l. ii. c. 69.) Having related the casting out of those that bought and sold in the temple, Luke omits Christ's going to Bethany and His return again to the city, and the circumstances of the fig-tree, and the answer which was made to the astonished disciples, concerning the power of faith. And having omitted all these, as he does not, like Mark, pursue the events of each day in order, he commences with these words, And it came to pass, that on one of those days; by which we may understand that day on which Matthew and Mark related that event to have taken place.

And it happened on one of the days, as he was teaching the people in the temple and proclaiming the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came to him, and they said to him, "Tell us by what authority you do these things." In different ways, they construct the same slander as above, when they said, "In Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he casts out demons" (Luke XI). For when they say, "By what authority do you do these things?" they doubt the authority of God, and they want it to be understood that it is by the power of the devil that he does these things. Adding also:

After he confuted the unbelief of the Jews through deeds, here he confutes through words and teachings. Now this part is divided into three. In the first he confutes by teachings the Pharisees erring from malice. In the second he confutes the Sadducees erring from ignorance, there: But certain of the Sadducees came forward, etc. In the third he instructs the disciples unto wisdom, there: And in the hearing of all the people, etc.

First, therefore, as regards the insolence of the Pharisees in assailing, he sets forth: And it came to pass on one of the days, as he was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, according to the evangelical truth which must be declared to all, as he himself said to his disciples in Matthew 10: "What you hear in the ear, preach upon the housetops"; and Mark, last chapter: "Preach the Gospel to every creature." So also he himself was doing, according to that saying of Ecclesiasticus 24: "I illuminate all with doctrine as the morning light and will declare it even afar off"; and afterwards: "See that I have not labored for myself alone, but for all who seek wisdom." But this doctrine of truth is hateful to the wicked, because "he who does evil hates the light," John 3: therefore it is added: The chief priests and scribes came together with the elders, through haughty insolence. For in the chief priests there was haughtiness on account of the excellence of dignity; in the scribes, on account of the excellence of knowledge; in the elders, on account of the hoariness of old age. Therefore they came together not as humble men to learn, but as the proud to calumniate, according to that saying of the Psalm: "The princes came together as one against the Lord and against his Christ." Whence in these is fulfilled that saying of Job 24: "They themselves were rebels against the light and knew not its ways." But rebellion had its origin from envy, which is the daughter of pride. This is "the most evil beast that devoured Joseph"; and concerning this Chrysostom says: "The priests were saying among themselves: We are the pillars of the temple, and behold, the whole Church leans upon him. We were as the visible tongue of the silent Scriptures, and behold, he resounds in the midst of the temple, and we, despised like a broken harp, are silent. We were the fathers; he begets children, and we are barren." This he says with regard to the aforesaid three kinds of persons, who were blinded by envy, and on this account cast what was manifest into doubt and calumniate.

For the Saviour Himself reproached them, saying, "And to you, lawyers, woe! for you have taken away the key of knowledge: you enter not in yourselves, and those that are entering in you have hindered." They rise up therefore against Christ as He teaches, and wickedly and abominably call out and say, "Tell us, by what authority You do these things? Who gave You this authority?" "The law," they say, "given by Moses, and the commandment which regulates all these our institutions, enjoined that those only who are of the lineage of Levi should approach these sacred duties: they offer the sacrifices: they regulate whatever is done in the divine temple: to them is given the office of instructing, and the government of the sacred trusts. But You, as being of another tribe—for You are sprung from Judah—seize upon honours which have been set apart for us. Who gave You this authority?" O foolish Pharisee, come and let me tell you somewhat you cannot gainsay, pleading to you the cause of Christ our common Saviour. If you were acquainted with the Scriptures, which are inspired by God, and the words and predictions of the holy prophets, you would have remembered perchance the blessed David, who says in the Spirit to Christ the Saviour of all, "The Lord has sworn, and will not repent, You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedek." Explain, therefore, what Pharisee or Scribe has ministered to God after the order of Melchisedek, who blessed and received tithes of Abraham? And as the very wise Paul writes, "Without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better." The root and commencement therefore of the very existence of Israel, even the patriarch Abraham, was blessed by the priesthood of Melchisedek: but Melchisedek and his priesthood was a type of Christ the Saviour of us all, Who has been made our High Priest and Apostle; not bringing near to God the Father those who believe in Him, by means of bloody sacrifices and offerings of incense, but perfecting them to holiness by a service superior to the law: for "such a High Priest have we, Who has sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high."

While he was teaching the crowds and evangelizing them, the chief priests and the scribes came and said to him, "By what power are you doing this?" If it were a question of his teaching, how could they have called it a work? It is clear that he referred to his works as testimony to the truth of his words, according to what he said: "If you do not believe in me, believe at least in the works." "By what power are you doing this?" They interrogated him like inquisitors, but he did not reply to them, since they did not approach him as students out of love in order to be taught but as rebels. He asked them in turn, "From where did the baptism of John come?" His word pressured them in such a way that they were forced to confess that they had not believed in John. He asked, "Was it from heaven or from human beings?" They began to reflect on it in their minds and to say, "If we say that it was from heaven, he will say, 'Why did you not believe in it?' If we say, 'From human beings,' we are afraid of the crowd." When they said, "If it is from heaven," they did not also say, "We are afraid of God." They were thus afraid of human beings but not of God.

But the rulers who should have been struck with wonder at one who taught such heavenly doctrines, and have been convinced by His words and deeds that this was the same Christ whom the Prophets had foretold, came to hinder Him, so helping onward the destruction of the people. For it follows, And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? &c. As if he said; By the law of Moses, those only who are sprung from the blood of Levi have authority to teach, and power over the sacred buildings. But Thou who art of the line of Judah usurpest the offices assigned to us. Whereas, O Pharisee, if thou hadst known the Scriptures, thou wouldest have called to mind that this is the Priest after the order of Melchisedec, who offers to God them that believe on Him by that worship which is above the law. Why then art thou troubled. He cast out of the sacred house things which seemed necessary for the sacrifices of the law, because He calls us by faith to the true righteousness.

The Lord, having entered Jerusalem with glory, as proof of His authority does that which cleanses the house of His Father from traders (Lk 19:45–46). He did this also at the beginning of His preaching, as the evangelist John says (Jn 2:13–18). And now He does the same again, a second time. This serves as a greater accusation against the Jews, that they were not brought to their senses by His first open admonition, but continued trading in the temple and called Him an opponent of God, whereas He honors the Father and God to such a degree that He cleanses His house from traders. In reproach of them He also brings forward the words of Isaiah: "My house shall be called a house of prayer" (Is 56:7).

The Jews, accusing the Lord, said: "By what power do you do these things? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." They sought a cause, not faith; whence they might lay traps, not whence they might be freed. Indeed, he who saw their hearts, observe what he answered to confound them through the lamp. "I also will ask you one question," he says: "Tell me, the baptism of John, was it from heaven or from men?" They were immediately struck, and though the day shone faintly, they were compelled to grope, as they could not look upon that brightness, they fled to the darkness of their own hearts, and there began to be troubled among themselves, stumbling and falling. "If we say," they thought among themselves, where they reasoned, but which he saw: "If we say, from heaven, he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' For he had borne testimony to Christ the Lord. But if we say, from men, the people will stone us, for John was held as a great prophet." And they said, "We do not know." You do not know; you are in darkness, you lose the light. For how much better if perhaps there is darkness in the human heart, to admit the light, not to lose it. When they said, "We do not know," the Lord said, "Neither do I tell you by what power I do these things. For I know with what heart you said, 'We do not know,' not wanting to be taught, but fearing to confess."

"Or who is it that gave you this authority?" They most manifestly deny the Son of God, whom they think does signs not by his own power, but by that of others.

Or when they say, By what authority doest thou these things? they doubt concerning the power of God, and wish it to be understood that of the devil He doeth this. Adding moreover, And who is he that gave thee this authority? Most plainly do they deny the Son of God when they think that not by His own power but another's He doeth miracles.

For which reason it is added: And they say, speaking to him: Tell us: By what authority do you do these things? Or who is it that gave you this authority? They ask this as though it were doubtful, when nevertheless it had been made manifest through the most evident miracles, according to that passage in John 5: "The works which I do bear witness concerning me"; but they wished by their questioning to lead all the people into doubt, as though those miracles were not from God, but rather from the devil. Hence the Gloss: "They doubt whether it is God's power and wish it to be understood that what he does is from the devil." This doubt came to them from the corruption of their own conscience; hence Chrysostom: "Every man judges another according to himself, and the fornicator thinks no one is chaste, the chaste man does not easily suspect a fornicator, the proud man thinks no one is humble: so the priest who is not from God thinks no one's priesthood is from God." Hence also the blind man who was given sight reproved the blindness of the Pharisees, who said that they did not know where Christ was from, according to that passage in John 9: "In this is the marvel, that you do not know where he is from." "But we know that God does not hear sinners, but if anyone does God's will," etc. Therefore it is said in Sirach 10: "The power of man is in the hand of God"; and in Romans 13: "There is no power except from God," etc.

But they foolishly ask Him: "By what authority do You do these things?" Yet it was possible for them to understand that since He brought forward the words of the prophet as testimony that the house of God is a house of prayer, and not a marketplace and a den of robbers (for greed and trading are characteristic of robbers), then what need, after all, is there to ask Him by what authority He does these things, when one can directly conclude that God so commands through the prophet? But they ask: "By what authority do You do these things?" The Law, they say, granted the right to manage the temple to those descended from Levi; how then do You, who are not descended from the tribe of Levi, do this and seize sacred rights? But, O Jews, remember the words of David: "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek" (Ps 109:4). Melchizedek is called a priest. And Melchizedek was a priest neither according to the Law nor by descent from the tribe of Levi. For how could this be, when he lived so many years before Levi? Then, why do you demand from Christ a legal procedure? God is not subject to laws. When it was necessary, He commanded that the priests be from the tribe of Levi, but now He abolishes that law and foreordains the priesthood of Melchizedek. Therefore He also drives out those selling sacrificial animals, such as sheep and doves — on the one hand, to preserve the beauty and decorum of the temple, and on the other, to show that one should no longer believe in the propitiation of God through animal sacrifices. Thus, it would have been easy for the Lord to answer them that "so it is said," and to say that so the prophet commands, or rather, God.

But they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' He whom you confess had prophecy from heaven bore witness to me, and from him you heard by what authority I do these things.

Third, as regards the deceitfulness of the Pharisees in evading, it is added: But they thought within themselves, saying: If we shall say: From heaven, confessing the truth, he will say to us: Why then did you not believe him? thereby reproaching our unbelief, by which they refused to believe a heavenly man, according to that passage of Matthew 11: "John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say: He has a demon."

But John's baptism was "from heaven." "Why, therefore," asks Christ, "did ye not believe him? " He therefore who had wished men to believe John, purposing to censure them because they had not believed him, belonged to Him whose sacrament John was administering.

But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us. For they are certain that John is a prophet." Therefore, they saw that whatever they responded, they would fall into a trap, fearing stoning, but fearing the confession of the truth even more.

But if we shall say: From men, all the people will stone us, abhorring the falsehood. For blasphemers were to be stoned according to the Law: Leviticus 24: "Bring forth the blasphemer outside the camp, and let all who heard lay their hands upon his head, and let all the people stone him."

For they are certain that John is a Prophet, on account of his most evident holiness, for which reason it is said of John in Matthew 11: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A Prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a Prophet." Whence above in chapter 3: "As all the people were wondering about John, whether perhaps he himself might be the Christ, John said: I baptize you with water; there shall come one mightier than I after me, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loose."

Suppose their answer to have been, that John's baptism was "of men," they would have been immediately stoned to death. Some Marcion, in rivalry to Marcion, would have stood up and said: O most excellent God; how different are his ways from the Creator's! Knowing that men would rush down headlong over it, He placed them actually on the very precipice.

And they answered that they did not know whence he was. And Jesus said to them: Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things. I do not tell you what I know, because you do not wish to confess what you know. Rejected most justly, they certainly left confused, and what is said in the psalm by the Prophet God the Father was fulfilled: I have prepared a lamp for my Christ (Psalm CXXXI), that is, John himself: I will clothe his enemies with confusion (Ibid.). However, it should be noted that the knowledge of the truth is to be concealed from those seeking for two main reasons, namely when the one who seeks is either less capable of understanding what he seeks, or is unworthy out of hatred or contempt for the truth itself that it should be revealed to him. For the sake of the one, the Lord said: I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now (John XVI). For the other reason, however, he instructs the disciples: Do not give what is holy to dogs or cast your pearls before swine (Matthew VII).

And then it follows, And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was. Because they will not confess that which they knew, they were baffled, and the Lord would not tell them what He knew; as it follows, And Jesus said unto them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. For there are two reasons especially why we should conceal the truth from those that ask; for example, when the questioner is incapable of understanding what he asks, or when from hatred or contempt he is unworthy to have his questions answered.

And because hatred of the truth pressed from one side and fear of stoning from the other, therefore they feign ignorance of the answer, when it is added: And they answered that they did not know whence it was. The Gloss: "Fearing stoning, but fearing the confession of truth more." But this confession of ignorance was proud and deceitful, because they spoke falsely and against their conscience, in order to avoid open refutation. Whence Chrysostom: "Lies, even if they have no one to deceive, nevertheless lie to themselves"; the Psalm: "Iniquity has lied to itself"; and again: "Strange children have lied to me"; and therefore John 8: "If I shall say that I do not know him, I shall be like you, a liar."