“Then they sent to Him some Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words….” Mark 12:13
“Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and they asked him….” Mark 12:18
“Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him…” Mark 12:29
“Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old?” John 3:4
We sure are a questioning bunch. We ask such things as: What’s for Dinner?, to What’s the meaning of life? We ask questions about the future: What’s the weather going to be tomorrow? We ask questions about the past: Why did we elect or Why didn’t we elect so-and-so? We often ask questions to get information. We sometimes ask questions just let out our emotions. Questions can be a threat. Questions can be a blessing.
But if you’ll pardoned this question which has an oxymoronic aspect by its very nature: Should we ever question God? If my response is no, then end of story, short article and off you go merry clicking away to somewhere else. If I say yes, certainly, then I’m perhaps placing myself on pretty shaky ground, faith wise. Yet did not even Christ Jesus, Himself exhort us to: “Ask and it will be given to us”? (Matthew 7:7)
I believe that the answer for us can be found in the way that Jesus Christ handled questions asked of him, especially by the religious leaders of His day. You see, what we must understand, take into account is the reason those religious leaders were questioning Jesus in the first place. Scripture is very clear that the vast majority of the religious leaders did not believe Jesus Christ was the Messiah. Worst yet, the leaders believed that Jesus was not only a charlitain but a dangerous rabble rouser who might, not only upset the Jewish order of things, but bring the might of occupying Roman army down upon them. Normally they knew how to deal with these people. In the past they had been easily able to show the falseness and trickery of the false prophets and quickly dispatch them. However, Jesus was all together different. Jesus miracles were not some shoddy parlor tricks. His preaching was not some hollow diatribe of lunatic fringe meanderings. Hardly, Jesus was performing miracles that had never been done before and could not be explained except as a product of Divine intervention. Secondly, His teaching showed a greater knowledge, an intimate deeper understanding then any of the Jewish leaders, themselves had. And worse still, the people loved to hear Him, loved to be around Him and watch Him perform miracles and listen to Him preach. Yet, again for the most part, the Jewish leadership, would not, could not believe that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah.
Thus, because the people followed Jesus so, they needed to find a way to get the people to turn on Jesus. The Jewish leadership had to show the people who knew more about scripture and about the Kingdom of God. They had to find a way to trip Jesus up, so the crowds were turn away from Him. They figured, asking Him questions was just the way. These were not just any questions; these were loaded questions. The questions they asked Jesus were posed in such away that Jesus couldn’t answer without getting Himself in trouble with the crowd or with the Roman authorities. Some questions were asked to try and stump Jesus, so the crowds would see that He was not all-knowing after all. Anytime the Jewish leadership, and they tried many times with many different representatives, tried to trap Jesus with one of these questions; they failed miserably. In fact, they failed so many times, they stopped trying, they were so afraid of His answers and how foolish His answers made the leadership seem, they eventually stopped asking Him questions all together.
However, those were not the only questions Jesus received. In fact, during one exchange, a scribe, who would have been a learned man of that time, was listening in. He heard the wisdom of Jesus thwart and confound the wisdom of the Jewish leaders. So the scribe then asked a question: What is the greatest commandment?” Yet Jesus did not ridicule this question or he who asked it. In fact, Jesus used the question to give one of His most powerful answers (see Mark 12:28). Then there was another man, a Jewish leader, a Pharisee, who came to Jesus by night to see Jesus. When, Jesus talks about being born again, Nicodemus asked how can a man be born when he is old. Jesus, at least at that point, did not ridicule Nicodemus or his question but answered it with a great and powerful, spiritual truth (see John 3:5). But in both of the above questions, the two men asking the questions were doing so out of humility. In both cases the men declared the special, in fact extraordinary wisdom that Jesus possessed and they were asking to gain wisdom from Jesus, not refute Him.
So, what impact does this have for us? You might be saying to yourself (or to me), Doug, I would never question God in doubting His Power or as if I knew the answer to try and trick him! Okay, maybe you or I, don’t ask our questions in such a way to try to trick God, but what about doubting Him? I confess sometimes my questions are such as: Why didn’t you do what I asked? or Why did you answer my prayer in this way (again insinuating that I had the better answer)? Do we ever ask our questions with a doubt that He’s even listening?
That’s not to say we can’t ask God for understanding about why something is happening. Yet we must be humble in doing so; acknowledging that whatever answer is received is the perfect answer, whether we would agree or not. We need to see that it is a sure blessing that God wants to be in a relationship with us enough, the He will allow us to ask Him questions.
There’s one other aspect we must consider when asking God a question. While we can be certain of His hearing the question and equally certain that He will answer the question, we can not have the expectation of our complete and perfect understanding of His answer. Even with the Holy Spirit as our guide, we are still limited in our ability to truly and completely grasp the infinite wisdom, the God derived logic and thinking which is the basis for the answer. That is where faith comes in. We may fathom only a fraction of the unattainable Godly wisdom, behind an answer to our question. Yet we can have complete faith that God understands all and through His Loving Grace, He will share what He can, but always has what is best for us in His plan.
Yes, let us take Jesus Christ at His Word and is Exhortation to ask that we may be given. Yet let us also insure that our intent is pure and humble; that we know we are the creation asking of our Creator. Let us be thrilled and praise filled that Our Creator loves us enough, wants to be in relationship with us enough, to provide His Heavenly answer.
Our Most Gracious Heavenly Father we are eternally thankful and praise Your Most Holy Name that, through Your Loving Grace, You desire to have a relationship with us that allows us to ask questions of You having faith that You will answer. Forgive us, Most Merciful Father, when we ask the question in a way that lacks humility and respect and assumes we know the answer better than You. Pour Out Your Holy Spirit that will help to show us Your Wisdom although we know we will never completely understand Your Mind. That in our asking and Your answering we will go forth in lives that bring praise to Your Most Holy Name. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen
Editors Note: If you’re in need of prayer, check out the Prayer Request page on this site. God bless you.
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