Mark 11:27-33 And they come again to Jerusalem. And when he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests and the scribes and the ancients, And they say to him: By what authority dost thou these things? and who hath given thee this authority that thou shouldst do these things? And Jesus answering, said to them: I will also ask you one word, and answer you me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men? Answer me. But they thought with themselves, saying: If we say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did you not believe him? If we say, From men, we fear the people. For all men counted John that he was a prophet indeed. And they answering, say to Jesus: We know not. And Jesus answering, saith to them: Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
"By what authority dost thou these things? and who hath given thee this authority that thou shouldst do these things?" Notice that our Lord does not ever give an answer to His accusers. We will get into the why of that issue shortly. First, I would like to address the preface to the question that they ask: What do they mean when they say "these things?" To which things do the priests, scribes, and elders refer?
Were we to go back and read the entire chapter, we would find that Mark the Evangelist has given us the events of the start of what we call Holy Week. It starts with the Lord sending the disciples to bring Him the colt; He conducts His triumphal Entry into Jerusalem to the joy of the crowd, who sing and shout and spread their garments and palm fronds before Him; then He departs to Bethany. Coming back into the city the next day, Jesus curses the fig tree, then enters the temple, driving out the merchants and money-changers, then again departs. It is the next morning, on the way BACK into Jerusalem, that His disciples see the fig tree withered, and the Lord hurriedly preaches to them about having both faith and forgiveness. It is when Christ re-enters the temple that He is set upon by the antagonists in today's Gospel, and now we are up to speed.
So, now we know which "things" the priests and elders are talking about: the Lord riding into the city like a gentle conqueror, and tossing the hucksters out on their ears. From the moment Jesus uttered the word "den of thieves," those in charge of the temple sought to destroy Him. They've had a whole night to stew on this; but they have to be careful, because of the crowds that had sung "Hosanna!" as the Lord came into the city. The priests, political as they were, didn't want the crowds to tear them apart, nor did they want to start riots that would bring the wrath of the Romans down upon their heads. So, they ride their one-trick pony at full speed, and try to trick Jesus into answering a "gotcha" question.
What is the trap within their question? As Blessed Theophylact writes in his commentary of Mark's Gospel, "They said this, striving to render Him speechless, so that they could lay hands on Him. For if He should answer, 'I do these things by My own authority,' they could stone Him for setting Himself up against God. But if He should answer, 'I do these things by God's authority,' they could drive the multitude away from Him, for the multitude believed that Jesus WAS God. Therefore, the Lord asks them about John, not without reason, nor simply to engage them in debate... So when these evil-minded men were at a loss for words, then Jesus say, 'Neither do I tell you.' He did NOT say, 'I do not know what to tell you,' but 'I do not tell you,' that is, since you do evil, I will not honor you with an answer." (Explanation of the Gospel of Mark, Blessed Theophylact of Ochrid, p100).
Perhaps you've met folks like this in your own life. You've seen them, I'm sure. the folks that are so smug in their intellectualism, who with a wink and a grin, ask you "So, have you stopped beating your wife yet?" On the news, political commentators try to trip up officials and candidates with no-win questions to make them look foolish and end their aspirations to office. On college campuses, the "New Atheists" have a number of zingers ready to go, such as "If there is such a loving, all-knowing, all-powerful God like you say, then why is there so much evil in the world?" Just like the question brought by the priests, these masters of wit take pride in asking a question that is intended to have no intelligible answer. "Can God make a rock so big even He can't move it?" The whole thing is a trap, and if you step into it to try to answer, you'll only come out of it looking like a fool. Those most susceptible to falling for this snare are those who, like me, are vulnerable to the pride of thinking themselves the smartest man in the room; who love a scintillating intellectual debate; who want to win, and show the world their awesome mental prowess. I believe that Jesus' ability to sidestep the snares of the priests lay not so much in His great wisdom, but in His divine humility. Sure, He is the Lord of all creation, and without Him is not anything made that was made. Surely, He has greater wisdom than any man could ever have; but it is His humility, His servant's heart, that allows Jesus to operate as someone Who has nothing to prove. He knows Who He is, where He came from, and where He is going. Yet He doesn't fall prey to the temptation to try to beat them at the game. He has the clarity of vision to reverse the trap, and show the priests that they are indeed the fools.
Speaking for myself, I am a fan of Christian Apologetics, of the reasoned defense of the Christian faith in the marketplace of ideas. I think every Christian should know enough about their faith to be able to reasonably explain it, to defend it if need be, to as St. Peter said, "being ready always to satisfy every one that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you" (1 Peter 3:15). But, as I've said, I'm prone to pride in this area, and I've had to adjust to the idea that, there are times I ought best to simply retreat, even if it's under the jeers of the antichrists that are becoming so prevalent in our society today. Because even if I win, even if I'm successful in making these people look like complete ignoramuses, I place myself in the unenviable position of winning the battle, but losing the war, if I can't persuade these people of the Truth of the Gospel of Christ. Better rather, to heed the instruction of our Lord: "Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you... For if you love them that love you, what reward shall you have?... Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:44-48)
Blessed Jesus, most clement Lord, only-begotten of the Father, send the Holy Spirit upon us, that we may walk in all due wisdom, to avoid the traps of the Enemy, to know when a question is better than an answer, and to glorify Thee, in all our words, and thoughts, and deeds, we beseech Thee O Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
"By what authority dost thou these things? and who hath given thee this authority that thou shouldst do these things?" Notice that our Lord does not ever give an answer to His accusers. We will get into the why of that issue shortly. First, I would like to address the preface to the question that they ask: What do they mean when they say "these things?" To which things do the priests, scribes, and elders refer?
Were we to go back and read the entire chapter, we would find that Mark the Evangelist has given us the events of the start of what we call Holy Week. It starts with the Lord sending the disciples to bring Him the colt; He conducts His triumphal Entry into Jerusalem to the joy of the crowd, who sing and shout and spread their garments and palm fronds before Him; then He departs to Bethany. Coming back into the city the next day, Jesus curses the fig tree, then enters the temple, driving out the merchants and money-changers, then again departs. It is the next morning, on the way BACK into Jerusalem, that His disciples see the fig tree withered, and the Lord hurriedly preaches to them about having both faith and forgiveness. It is when Christ re-enters the temple that He is set upon by the antagonists in today's Gospel, and now we are up to speed.
So, now we know which "things" the priests and elders are talking about: the Lord riding into the city like a gentle conqueror, and tossing the hucksters out on their ears. From the moment Jesus uttered the word "den of thieves," those in charge of the temple sought to destroy Him. They've had a whole night to stew on this; but they have to be careful, because of the crowds that had sung "Hosanna!" as the Lord came into the city. The priests, political as they were, didn't want the crowds to tear them apart, nor did they want to start riots that would bring the wrath of the Romans down upon their heads. So, they ride their one-trick pony at full speed, and try to trick Jesus into answering a "gotcha" question.
What is the trap within their question? As Blessed Theophylact writes in his commentary of Mark's Gospel, "They said this, striving to render Him speechless, so that they could lay hands on Him. For if He should answer, 'I do these things by My own authority,' they could stone Him for setting Himself up against God. But if He should answer, 'I do these things by God's authority,' they could drive the multitude away from Him, for the multitude believed that Jesus WAS God. Therefore, the Lord asks them about John, not without reason, nor simply to engage them in debate... So when these evil-minded men were at a loss for words, then Jesus say, 'Neither do I tell you.' He did NOT say, 'I do not know what to tell you,' but 'I do not tell you,' that is, since you do evil, I will not honor you with an answer." (Explanation of the Gospel of Mark, Blessed Theophylact of Ochrid, p100).
Perhaps you've met folks like this in your own life. You've seen them, I'm sure. the folks that are so smug in their intellectualism, who with a wink and a grin, ask you "So, have you stopped beating your wife yet?" On the news, political commentators try to trip up officials and candidates with no-win questions to make them look foolish and end their aspirations to office. On college campuses, the "New Atheists" have a number of zingers ready to go, such as "If there is such a loving, all-knowing, all-powerful God like you say, then why is there so much evil in the world?" Just like the question brought by the priests, these masters of wit take pride in asking a question that is intended to have no intelligible answer. "Can God make a rock so big even He can't move it?" The whole thing is a trap, and if you step into it to try to answer, you'll only come out of it looking like a fool. Those most susceptible to falling for this snare are those who, like me, are vulnerable to the pride of thinking themselves the smartest man in the room; who love a scintillating intellectual debate; who want to win, and show the world their awesome mental prowess. I believe that Jesus' ability to sidestep the snares of the priests lay not so much in His great wisdom, but in His divine humility. Sure, He is the Lord of all creation, and without Him is not anything made that was made. Surely, He has greater wisdom than any man could ever have; but it is His humility, His servant's heart, that allows Jesus to operate as someone Who has nothing to prove. He knows Who He is, where He came from, and where He is going. Yet He doesn't fall prey to the temptation to try to beat them at the game. He has the clarity of vision to reverse the trap, and show the priests that they are indeed the fools.
Speaking for myself, I am a fan of Christian Apologetics, of the reasoned defense of the Christian faith in the marketplace of ideas. I think every Christian should know enough about their faith to be able to reasonably explain it, to defend it if need be, to as St. Peter said, "being ready always to satisfy every one that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you" (1 Peter 3:15). But, as I've said, I'm prone to pride in this area, and I've had to adjust to the idea that, there are times I ought best to simply retreat, even if it's under the jeers of the antichrists that are becoming so prevalent in our society today. Because even if I win, even if I'm successful in making these people look like complete ignoramuses, I place myself in the unenviable position of winning the battle, but losing the war, if I can't persuade these people of the Truth of the Gospel of Christ. Better rather, to heed the instruction of our Lord: "Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you... For if you love them that love you, what reward shall you have?... Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:44-48)
Blessed Jesus, most clement Lord, only-begotten of the Father, send the Holy Spirit upon us, that we may walk in all due wisdom, to avoid the traps of the Enemy, to know when a question is better than an answer, and to glorify Thee, in all our words, and thoughts, and deeds, we beseech Thee O Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.