A recent televised interview captured my attention. The author of a controversial book kept responding to questions by saying, “That’s a great question.” And then he would orbit that “great question” without ever landing on an answer.
Jesus surely frustrated the “interviewers” who came to see Him in Matthew 21. “By what authority are you doing all these things?” they demanded to know (Matthew 21:23). The Lord promised to answer them if they would first answer His question: “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?” (Matthew 21:24).
Jesus wasn’t hiding behind a muddy stream of words. He wanted to show the religious leaders how spiritually lost they were. So He told them stories and asked more questions to help them see their condition (Matthew 21:28-44). But they chose to hate Jesus all the more. Later that same week they would crucify Him.
The Bible shows us a remarkable contrast between the questions Jesus asked and those that His enemy posed. In Genesis 3, the serpent subtly planted a seed of doubt in Eve’s mind: “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” (Genesis 3:1). The question was not designed to bring clarity but to cloud the issue. Adam and Eve’s response to it introduced the curse of death into our now-broken world.
The fact that we live in a dying world poses a question for all of us: How will we be reconciled to God? Are we with the “tax collectors and prostitutes” who repented? (Matthew 21:32). Or are we with the religious leaders who refused to believe Jesus and had Him crucified? Our answer makes all the difference in the world.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Genesis 21:8-21
More:
Read Genesis 3:1-6 to see how the serpent used a question to lead Adam and Eve away from God.
Next:
How do you use questions? To confuse the issue? To bring clarity? To glean information? Why is it vital for us to use questions that glorify God and reveal His truth?
tom felten on January 12, 2012 at 8:45 am
Tim, thanks for this reminder of the questions Jesus asked—opening the door so that people could be reconciled to God. May we also lovingly ask key questions of people we interact with, for “God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
regina franklin on January 13, 2012 at 7:57 pm
Dear Tim,
As a literature teacher, I often have the opportunity to engage with works by authors who seek simply to raise questions within the reader. Should the response of the Christian writer be the same? Some see content to stir questions, as if the ability to stir a question makes a thought great. However, truth is not dependent on how many questions a thought raises, nor is it found in one’s ability to be obtuse or philosophical. Truth is the Word become flesh, the unchanging character of God, Himself. Thanks for your willingness to call muddy areas for what they are–sinking ground.
mike wittmer on January 14, 2012 at 1:25 pm
Some questions actually communicate–such as the serpent’s question in Genesis 3. It wasn’t really a question, but meant to plant a seed of doubt and disobedience in Eve’s head.
You remind me that while I often get frustrated when others dodge questions, that I too often do the same thing with God.