I am reading a book on argumentation. The author stresses that an argument requires a common basis to go forward. That is what Jesus is trying to establish in his argument with the chief priests and elders: “I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things.” Jesus was looking for a starting point that they could both agree on. Since they wouldn’t provide such a basis for the discussion no genuine argument was possible. In our hyper-polarized world we do not have genuine arguments but simply shout at one another. It is important that we establish what we have in common before we try to name where we disagree.
