It can be difficult to truly hear someone out when we feel threatened. When we are in charge or have a position of authority sometimes we are challenged by people who have better answers or are better qualified to lead than ourselves. The temptation to stay in control at all costs, or to assert ourselves and ascend to a higher and stronger position can become intense. The strongest position is always the truth because the truth doesn’t require human authority to reinforce it.
In today’s Gospel, we can see how being in a position of authority is not the same as having authority. We can also see how afraid people who have authority are of losing it. Jesus is the only one whose person itself is Truth. This gives Him absolute authority. It is nothing He has to prove, His Words come from a place of incontestable reliability. Jesus is not trying to make a political power grab. When He speaks, living water begins to gush and flow within the hearts of his listeners. The charism that belongs to Jesus is supernatural authority that stands on the very nature of the Words He speaks and the effects they have on the minds and hearts of those who truly listen.