In Jerusalem

Again they came to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me.’ They argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say, “Why then did you not believe him?” But shall we say, “Of human origin”?’—they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet. So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.’
- Mark 11:27-33

This passage interests me because it shows Jesus at his clever, storytelling best. It isn't quite Rumpelstiltskin, but it is something that to me is quite the Middle Eastern sense of wit at work, despite its very serious and sober message. "If you won't tell me, then I don't have to tell you." Nobody can catch Jesus in a line, nobody trips him up. Nobody knows better than he the meaning of words and how to use them, and he uses them with great wit.

I love this aspect about the human and very powerful Jesus. He gives in to no one. He sticks to his job and his mission, and it's not to please the whole world. It's to uphold a message, to be true to his Boss, the One, the Father in heaven. But he does so with a boldness and a colorful wit, he does so with alacrity, with powerful force of words, and also with parables we continue to repeat. There is nobody like this human Jesus with this potent, not merely wise but witty personality, and with this strong sense of who he is and what is his message. He doesn't give an inch.

So, he retorts, "I won't tell you either." Let their standards be good enough for them. His inquisitors, on the other hand, fear the crowds, they fear Jesus' intelligence, and most clearly here, they weigh their answers based not on truth but on what the answers might get them. Two different entirely contrasting positions between Jesus and those who accuse him; one who is bold, Jesus, and those who have no truth in them, are selfish and feel fear. Which do you choose? How does your boldness manifest itself? What do you defend?