Luke 20:4 Meaning and Explanation

John the Baptist had stirred the whole nation, calling Israel to repentance in the wilderness — and he had publicly testified that one mightier than himself was coming (Luke 3:16). The leaders had watched John closely and had never submitted to his call.

The question is perfectly aimed. If John's commission was from heaven, then John's testimony settles the question of Jesus' authority, for John bore witness to him. If they dismiss John, they expose their unbelief before a people who revered him. God's messengers stand together: to receive one is to be led to the next, and to refuse one is to lose the thread. The leaders' problem is not lack of evidence but refusal of the evidence they already have.