KJV ORIGINAL
The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
So where did John's baptism come from — God or just people? They started whispering to each other like, 'If we say it was from God, he's gonna ask us why we didn't believe John in the first place.'
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
Jesus backed them into a corner with one simple question about John the Baptist.
📜 Historical Context — Why was this verse written?
The Gospel of Matthew, traditionally attributed to the apostle Matthew, was likely written for a Jewish Christian community, possibly in Syria, around 80-90 CE. It aimed to present Jesus as the Jewish Messiah who fulfilled prophecy and to provide theological and ethical instruction for its early Christian readers.
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