The question underlying the confrontation in today's reading is "Who is in charge of me?" They don't ask it that way. The chief priests and elders ask Jesus who is in charge of him. Jesus, this guy who has demonstrated a willingness to shake things up (see 21:12-13) and an ability to attract crowds (see 21:8-11).
Put yourself into the position of those chief priests and elders. You have an important role in the religious life of your people. You work in the temple, the most important and most visible site of that religion, the place where the people can gain access to God and to God's forgiveness. But, you owe your job security to the secular authority. The Romans are in charge of their empire and you live in a small and weak part of it. To maintain your own security, you have to appease the ones in charge.
Here's what they did way back then. They confronted this problem head on. They asked him to provide his credentials. In response, he turned the tables on them. Because they were insecure, they waffled.
Think about the answer underlying the answer Jesus gave them when they questioned the source of his authority. What is his authority? Who gave him this authority? Do you live as if you agree with what you believe?
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