...the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders approached him and said to him,
"By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority to do them?"
....Then Jesus said to them,
"Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things."
In his First Letter Saint Peter encouraged his disciples, "Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope." As true citizens we pay attention to what is happening, participate in civic and political affairs, and contribute where we are able. We know we belong here because God has sent us, and we know our most valuable gift is our faith in God. And so we are happy to share our faith, hope, and love with everyone who asks.
But there are times, as Jesus knew so very well, when we're approached by hostile forces who intend to use our own words against us. We owe them nothing. Neither explanation nor apology. We may keep our silence and our peace. Jesus demonstrated that laconic serenity as he stood before Caesar's representative in Pilate's court.
[Lawyers might be interested in an article published in the Tulsa Law Review by Hala Khoury-Bisharat and Rinat Kitai-Sangero entitled, The Silence of Jesus and Its Significance for the Accused. They remind us that silence is not an admission of guilt.]
When Jesus finally spoke, he told the Roman functionary, "You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above." In other words, "In yourself, you are no one. You own nothing, you belong to no one. You exist only in your own imagination, which will evaporate the day you die. Without the Truth who is God, you have no life; you are nothing."
In the same letter where Peter advises us to speak, he also remembers the Lord's silence:
When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly.
As children of good parents most of us were encouraged to please people. However, that eagerness can be not only tiresome but untrustworthy. Sometimes the Spirit advises us to say nothing, to speak evasively, and even -- as when Saint Paul stood before his Pharisee and Sadducee accusers -- to play our enemies against each other. We also remember Saint Thomas More's evasiveness when King Henry VIII divorced his wife and attempted a marriage with another woman. The martyr was executed because he said nothing about the sovereign's betrayal of the Catholic faith.
Because God owes us nothing, neither our being nor our salvation, we can exercise the same freedom. In the face of hostility we may exercise the Lord's laconic serenity. We may give them whatever they ask, if the Lord directs us to do so, for their salvation -- but we owe them nothing.
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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.