Jesus also answered and said to them, “I will also ask you one thing. If you answer me, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.
With His answer, Jesus is not avoiding the question, but showing the deception in the hearts of the religious leaders. He asks them in such a way that, by their own words, it will be revealed whether they are sincere in seeking the truth. Here the form of His reply—answering a question with a question—is a manifestation of divine wisdom, by which Jesus at the same time protects the moment of His revelation and judges their false intention. In this way He teaches that the person who has already closed his heart to the truth, even after hearing the true answer, will not accept it. The authority of Jesus is revealed only to those who come with faith, not with testing.