NOTES for Мк 11:27-33
Answering a question with a question is thoroughly in the Jewish spirit. Yet Jesus never does anything by accident, and He certainly answers a question with a question neither to win an argument nor to avoid giving an answer. When He did not consider it necessary to answer, He usually simply remained silent. There is clearly a meaning in His counter-question. But what is it? The question itself concerns a burning issue, for John, his preaching, the washings or “baptisms” he performed, and his very death as a righteous martyr were on everyone’s lips. It is no surprise that the people considered him a prophet, a man of God. Yet perhaps the point lies neither in the question Jesus asks nor even in the answer His questioners give Him. The point is how they answer. Their principal concern is not the search for truth, or even the answer as such, but their own authority and personal safety. The situation is typical, for dialogue with Him is still often conducted in much the same way. We frequently ask Him a question, receive no answer, and wonder why. In turn, He asks us a counter-question whose answer is often obvious and watches to see what matters to us: He Himself, God, truth, or our personal well-being. If well-being comes first, He does not answer. Not because He condemns and rejects us, but because any further conversation loses all meaning.