People ask questions for many different reasons, don’t they? Would you agree that most of the time you can assume questions are legitimate, honest and sincere? It has been said that “brilliant thinkers and innovators never stop asking questions because they know that it is one of the best ways to gain insights and increase their knowledge”. There are also times when people simply make inquiries out of curiosity or inquisitiveness. Questions are sometimes asked simply to confuse, trick, or to discredit another person. When you have a doubt, determining the motive behind a question just might be an important thing to do. It is important to have gentle but firm boundaries when a question is clearly inappropriate or being asked out of anger, hostility or fear. Do you believe that the quality of your life in some ways depends on the questions that you have asked and continue to ask?
As the weeks went by in Jesus’ public ministry, the Pharisees and teachers of the law started to ask Jesus more questions. At times their motives were to get real answers and at other times they wanted to set a trap for Him, to accuse Him, or to find a way to discredit Him in front of the people. It is quite fascinating to study how Jesus responded to His antagonists. Very often He found it helpful to simply respond with another questions – one that accomplished the very thing that they wanted to do to Him. Along with His simple but profound response to them, He never lost an opportunity to teach, to instruct and to help everyone understand that He was the fulfillment of prophecies which were written in Old Testament and spoken by the prophets whom they revered. In addition, He was able to communicate to those who were willing to listen to the things that were on His heart and mind profound ideas that they could remember and discuss in the days to come.
Since questions can be a way to eliminate confusion, to strengthen a relationship, to find answers to a problem, and to demonstrate humility, what are some of the questions that are on your mind? Would you like to take Jesus up on His offer? “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11: 28) Perhaps you can hear Him saying to you, “Come to Me, all you who are puzzled and confused, and I will give you direction.”
