Luke 20:6
“But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.””
What does Luke 20:6 mean?
The religious leaders here are caught between a rock and a hard place. Jesus has asked them where John the Baptist's authority came from, and they realize that whatever answer they give will backfire. If they say John's baptism was merely human, the crowds will turn against them violently because the people genuinely believed John spoke for God. Their fear shows how much the common people loved and respected John, and how little the leaders want to contradict what the crowds believe, even if it means dodging Jesus's question. It's a moment of cowardice dressed up as political calculation, revealing that sometimes we avoid truth not because we don't know it, but because admitting it would cost us something.