Jesus said to them in reply,
“I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me,
then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things.
Where was John’s baptism from?
Was it of heavenly or of human origin?”
T he chief priests and the elders of the people confront Jesus with the most difficult of all dilemmas in today's gospel. They cannot tell the truth. Pathological lying confronts simple honesty. Jesus is quite willing to testify to the truth when they ask by what authority he does these things, but they are incapable of recognizing, honoring, hearing, or speaking it.
We're all presented with difficult situations like that, as when we're asked yes/no questions about a thorny issues which offer no simple answers. I learned a simple question like that in high school, "Do you still beat your wife?" If a married man says yes, he's an awful person; if he says no, he admits he has beaten her occasionally. But if he has never beat her, or even wanted to, he has no option except to challenge the premise of the question.
In today's gospel, the Lord's opponents do not even discuss among themselves the option of replying with the truth. Perhaps some of them consider John the Baptist a prophet; and others do not. Perhaps, as a group, they've not arrived at a consensus and are not prepared to answer the Lord's question, but they do not discuss which of those three positions they might take.
They have never seriously wondered if the martyred Baptist was from God. Their only consideration is political and political parties have never been concerned about the truth. This was the American dilemma last month as we considered voting for abortion or racism, transgenderism or guns, libertarian economics or mass migrations. There was no right answer and Pope Francis could only suggest, "Vote for the lesser evil."
In this part of Saint Matthew's gospel, as we approach the trial, passion, and death of Jesus, the Evangelist describes a series of challenges from the Lord's opponents, including the payment of taxes and questions about marriage. The Lord answers each fraught question with astonishing dexterity until finally, "No one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare to ask him any more questions."
But that didn't mean they quit opposing him. It simply meant they would try to suppress the truth by other means.
As we approach the crisis of Christmas and challenging questions about our worship of an infant, we should prepare to answer every reasonable question from every honest person whose faith is weak. But we should also expect irrational opposition and prepare to respond as the Lord directs us, with silence or with testimony.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.