Matthew 21:27

Neither tell I you— "I do not think it at all necessary to tell you by what authority I do these things; for the other question concerning John, naturally requires to be determined first; and when you think proper to decide that, you may easily perceive that the same answer will serve both:" which was plainly the case; for, as on the one hand, the express testimony which John bore to Christ must be a sufficient proof of his divine mission, if that of John was allowed, (since according to the Jewish maxim, the testimony of one prophet was sufficient to confirm the authority of another); so Christ had spoken in such an honourable manner of John, that to condemn John as an impostor, would imply a like censure on the character of Jesus.