The significance of ‘Holy Tuesday’ is not easily grasped. In a single day, Jesus would simultaneously condemn the religious authorities while confirming His deity. The cleansing of the Temple on Monday caused the Pharisees to question Jesus’ right to do “these things.” Jesus had not received His authority from the religious leaders , so they wanted answers.

Attempts were made to force Jesus to state that He had divine power from God. Then He could be charged with blasphemy, even arrested. Knowing their motives, Jesus agreed to answer their questions if they first answered whether John the Baptist’s work was human or divine. If divine, John’s preaching affirmed Jesus as divine. If human, those who followed John would riot. It was the Sanhedrin’s responsibility to know the difference between true and false prophets, yet they shamefully admitted they didn’t know. Thus, Jesus did not answer their question (Matthew 21:23–27; Mark 11:27–33).