The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me.
Parallel translations
- WEB The baptism of John — was it from heaven, or from men? Answer me.”
- BSB John’s baptism—was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me!”
- NKJV The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.”
- NASB Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.”
- NLT “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human? Answer me!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus asks whether John's baptism was from heaven or from men.
Overview
By pointing to John the Baptist, Jesus links His own authority to John's God-given prophetic ministry, since John bore witness to Him. The question puts the leaders in a dilemma they cannot escape without exposing themselves. Their response to John reveals their response to Jesus.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Mark 1:1–11The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
- Mark 9:13But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.
- Luke 3:1–20Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,
- Matt 3:1–17In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
- John 1:6–8There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
- John 1:15–36John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
- John 3:25–36Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 11:30 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.