LIFE SCRIPTS

They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?” Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.) So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
Mark 11:27‭-‬33 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mrk.11.27-33.NIV.

The Chief priests and the teachers of the law were masters of mind games. They wasted no time in trying to trick Christ and make Him a laughing stock of many. In this instant, they put forth a question concerning the authority He uses to conduct His miracles. But Christ being God had read their minds a mile away. So He twisted the story a bit to expose their hypocrisy. They were cornered before the very people they desired to impress by scoring points…the crowd. The teachers of the law thrived on this strategy. They loved initiating unnecessary debate to trap people they saw as opposing their view. But they did it in the midst of the crowd because their intention was to incite and not inform. This was the same strategy they would put to test as they sought to crucify Christ. Seeking to be popular among people is one reason why we lose it sometimes. At times the same people we seek to please may be so fed up with our dishonesty that they actively seek for the truth. The chief priest had fed falsehoods to the crowd over time. Now that the true message was with them, the people followed Christ wherever He went. Hypocrisy is ultimately exposed. We must seek to be truthful and honest in our dealings with people. Being true costs nothing. But being dishonest may seem beneficial at first but attracts a hefty price at the end.