As he was walking in the temple area, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders approached him and said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you the authority to do them?”
(Mark 11:27-28)
The question of the officials was not a request for information, but a challenge to your works, my Jesus. What were “these things”? You had entered Jerusalem, thrown out the money lenders, and healed the sick. They resented and feared you. They could not answer your question because of the political implications. It was appearances that mattered to them, not truth. Since they didn’t want to know your answer, you withheld it.
If the truth is in me, I will speak it, no matter what the consequences. You have shown us your authority. Let me profess it in all I do and say.