The leaders asked Jesus a simple question. “Who told you that you could do these things?”

It was, I suppose, a valid question. They were the leaders. They were the religious authorities. They were in charge of geography and theology, of temple and interpretations. That they would ask is not surprising.

Except that their question was a speech.

They knew the answer. They had been having these conversations with Jesus for years. They usually asked in the hinterlands, in the outskirts, in the boonies. They usually didn’t have their police force in tow. But now, in Jerusalem, in the temple, on their turf, things were different. One wrong word and they could jump and nothing could touch them. Even the crowds might not be able to support blasphemy.

So this was a trap.

They forgot that they were asking the smartest man who ever lived. They forgot that this was the rabbi who had baffled the rabbis when he was twelve. They forgot that they were setting a verbal trap for the one who was the Word.

So he posed his own question about who authorized John’s baptisms.

This was a tough question. Lots of people had loved John. Lots of people had been baptized by John. Though the leaders hadn’t been baptized by John, they understood popularity. And the power of a martyr.

While they were pointing a loaded  gun at Jesus, Jesus was holding the rope restraining the lions. Shoot him and the lions are released.

The leaders blinked first. “We don’t know,” they said, disguising the fact that they didn’t want to decide.

Jesus offered an interesting way out of difficult situations. Discern whether you are facing inquirers or an inquisition. If the former, offer hope. If the latter, offer nothing.

And ask him which is which.