“they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell” [Mark 11:33]

“they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell”. The chief priest, scribes and elders did not want to face up to Jesus’ question, so they said they did not know the answer. They were afraid to say what they thought because it was so obviously flawed. They were not prepared to think through the truth of the matter for fear they might need to change their mind. There are many like them today.
Jesus said that men would not come to the light lest their deeds were reproved. John’s Gospel tells us that Jesus came to His own people but they did not receive Him. If men would consider their real needs and those of the community and of the world in the light of the gospel they would call upon the Lord for mercy and forgiveness. Faith says “Lord, we believe”; it is the agnostic who says he cannot tell.