well, actually. . .

Jesus didn't answer every question put to him "completely and succinctly." Pilate asked Him, "What is truth?" The One who identified Himself as "the way, the truth, and the life" remained silent. I don't know if you've seen "The Last Temptation of Christ," but the scene between Pilate and Christ was brilliantly played. (Much of the rest of the movie was preposterous, but never mind that. It actually showed 1st century Palestinian Jews digging a hole in the ground for a grave!!) I went back and re-read John 18 with a whole new appreciation for the literary genius of St. John -- the dialogues he reports in his gospel sparkle! Anyway, it seems to me as if Christ responded to questioners according to their own level. To the woman at the well, He gave more than she was expecting. But when the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?" He was much less forthcoming. He parried their question with a question. Again, the exchange recorded in Matthew 21 is quite instructive if one wishes to see how Christ responded to people. Dirk