Tell Jesus and Jesus will tell you!

Mark 11:27-33  27 Jesus and his disciples arrived again in Jerusalem. He was walking in the temple courtyards. Then the chief priests came to him. The teachers of the law and the elders came too. 28 "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "Who gave you authority to do this?" 29 Jesus replied, "I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 Was John's baptism from heaven? Or did it come from men? Tell me!" 31 They talked to each other about it. They said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' 32 But what if we say, 'From men'?" They were afraid of the people. Everyone believed that John really was a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." Jesus said, "Then I won't tell you by what authority I am doing these things either." Food for thought Did you notice in this, and in all other instances, that whenever people asked Jesus a question, he would answer by asking the questioner a question of his? Like today, some people came up to Jesus and asked him, «By what authority are you doing these things?» they asked. «Who gave you authority to do this?» Jesus answers them by another question: «I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. Was John's baptism from heaven? Or did it come from men? Tell me!» Jesus does this all the time in the gospels; he interrogates the interrogator; he questions the questioner, he tells the teller and as in today's gospel he tells his questioner, «Answer me and I will tell you.» What does this mean for you and me? It means, if we ask Jesus, Jesus will ask us; if we answer Jesus, Jesus will answer us. It means that it is by telling Jesus that Jesus tells us, it is by opening up to Jesus that Jesus opens up to us, it is by loving Jesus that Jesus loves us; it is by giving to Jesus or for Jesus' sake that Jesus gives us, it is by forgiving that we are forgiven; it is by loving that we are loved. Etc. Let me give you an example. In Matthew 16:13 Jesus asks his disciples, «Who do people say the Son of Man is?» The disciples begin to say all they have heard people say about Jesus. Then Jesus asks them, «But what about you?» he asks. «Who do you say I am?» Simon Peter answers, «You are the Christ. You are the Son of the living God.» Jesus replies, «Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah! No mere man showed this to you. My Father in heaven showed it to you. Here is what I tell you. You are Peter. On this rock I will build my church. The gates of hell will not be strong enough to destroy it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. What you lock on earth will be locked in heaven. What you unlock on earth will be unlocked in heaven.» Wow! What a revelation about Peter. Now notice that as soon as Peter tells Jesus, Jesus tells Peter; as soon as Peter says who Jesus is, Jesus tells Peter who Peter is: «Here is what I tell you. You are Peter...» Until this moment, Peter did not know really who he (Peter) was or what lay ahead for him until Jesus started to reveal Peter to Peter. And Jesus did not start to tell Peter until Peter started to tell Jesus. So, the principle is clear: tell Jesus and Jesus will tell you, answer Jesus and Jesus will answer you, know Jesus and Jesus will make you know yourself, give to Jesus and Jesus will give to you...! Now, it is your turn, try it. Don't be like the people in today's gospel, «So they answered Jesus, 'We don't know.' And Jesus said to them, «Then I won't tell you either.» Just before we go, all this means one thing: Jesus is the key that opens each one of us. We are all mysterious, and without Jesus we never come to know ourselves, we never come to know life, death, suffering, loving. We are sealed people, we are closed books, and only Jesus has the key to unseal and open us. Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One sitting on the throne. The scroll had writing on both sides. It was sealed with seven seals. 2 I saw a mighty angel calling out in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll. No one could even look inside it. 4 I cried and cried because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, «Do not cry! The Lion of the tribe of Judah has won the battle. He is the Root of David. He is able to break the seven seals and open the scroll.» (Rev. 5:1-4)