Jesus questions
Guest Writer Kathy McGregor
“Jesus said to them, ‘I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.’” Mark 11:29
Today in Mark’s gospel lesson, Jesus does what he often does—he answers a question with a question.
Jesus is questioned by Jerusalem leaders: “By what authority are you doing these things?” In rabbinical fashion, Jesus answers the question with a question and caught the leaders between a rock and a hard place to find an answer. Either they had to confess the authority of John (and Jesus) or they risked losing all credibility with the crowds.
Martin Copenhaver, author of Jesus Is the Question, counts 183 questions Jesus is asked, of which he only answers 3. There is a word for answering a question with a question. The word is maieutics, also known as the Socratic method, and often done to invoke more thought into the questioner…to answer the questions they ask themselves.
I remember the first time our Prison Story Project team was allowed onto death row to meet the men who had volunteered to participate in our project. Ray Dansby, a giant of a man, called me over to his cell and angrily asked, “We all know what’s in this for you, but what’s in this for us?” I had no idea what he meant by the question or why he asked it so angrily. It was a frightening encounter, and the only thing I could think to do was to ask him what he thought was “in it” for us. His answer gave us a glimpse into the utter lack of trust that exists on death row. His answer to his own question gave us the insight we needed in order to slowly establish trust so we could build relationships for a successful program.
I learned something powerful that day when, out of fear, I answered Ray’s question with a question. Sometimes simply offering an answer means missing the opportunity to explore the meanings a question might have. Jesus knew the disarming power of answering questions with questions. Perhaps each of us can consider how well we listen to the questions of others and the questions behind the questions.
Kathy McGregor
From “Daily Reflections,” Tuesday, April 12 2022 St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas www.stpaulsfay.org
