“They came to him and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things?’” – Mark 11:28
By Tuesday of Holy Week, the city is watching Jesus closely. The crowds are still stirred by his arrival, but so are the authorities. The chief priests, scribes, and elders approach him—not with open hearts, but with challenges. They question his authority, test his responses, and attempt to trap him in contradiction.
It’s not just a theological argument.
It’s a confrontation of power.
They want to know: What gives you the right?
Jesus responds, as he often does, not with defensiveness, but with quiet, piercing wisdom.
Holy Tuesday invites us into this tension.
It’s not a comfortable space—but it is a necessary one.
When Truth Is Questioned
All of us, at some point, will find our beliefs challenged.
Not just by others, but by life itself.
You may be asked, whether with words or circumstances:
- Why do you still trust?
- What grounds your faith when things fall apart?
- Who do you think you are to speak, believe, or hope?
And like Jesus, we’re faced with a choice—not just what to say, but how to respond.
Do we fight to defend our position?
Do we shrink back into silence out of fear?
Or do we remain grounded in the stillness that knows truth doesn’t need volume to be real?
Celtic Wisdom and the Power of Presence
In the Celtic Christian tradition, wisdom is not just knowledge—it is right relationship. With the land, with one another, with God, and with the inner voice of the Spirit.
Truth isn’t something you wield. It’s something you walk with.
This is what Jesus shows us on Holy Tuesday. He doesn’t argue for argument’s sake.
He doesn’t try to prove his credentials to people whose hearts are already closed.
He speaks when it matters, and stays silent when the moment calls for it.
He models a kind of discernment that doesn’t come from cleverness, but from inner clarity. A wisdom that stays steady under pressure, not because it knows all the answers, but because it’s rooted in a deeper source.
Wisdom Is Not Always Comfortable
There’s a romanticism that sometimes gets attached to “wisdom”—the idea of a sage who always speaks calmly, who is never rattled. But real wisdom, especially on days like Holy Tuesday, often looks like tension. It lives in that edge between knowing and not knowing, speaking and not speaking, clarity and complexity.
It takes great courage to remain present when your truth is being questioned.
To not flinch.
To not retaliate.
To not abandon yourself to please or appease.
Sometimes the most faithful thing you can do is hold your ground in love, and let your stillness speak.
A Reflection for Today
Holy Tuesday invites a different kind of honesty. It’s not just about how we answer others—it’s about how we face the questions within ourselves.
- How do I respond when my convictions are tested?
- Where am I reactive, and where am I rooted?
- Can I hold space for challenge without collapsing into defensiveness?
And deeper still:
Where is the Spirit calling me to speak gently, clearly, or silently today?
A Practice
Take ten minutes of stillness today.
Breathe deeply. Imagine yourself standing in the Temple beside Jesus, facing questioning eyes.
Then ask:
What truth within me is quietly asking to be honoured?
Where might silence be the wisest response?
Where might a clear, kind word be needed—not to win, but to witness?
And if a difficult conversation arises today—externally or within—pause.
Let the Spirit speak first.
Final Thought
Holy Tuesday reminds us that wisdom is not found in winning arguments.
It is found in how we carry truth.
In Jesus, we see a wisdom that doesn’t demand recognition, but offers invitation.
A truth that doesn’t shout, but shines.
So today, may you walk with that kind of wisdom—grounded, spacious, quietly radiant.
And when you are tested, may your response be less about proving… and more about simply being true.
Ancient Whispers 
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