WHY QUESTIONS ARE IMPORTANT IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE by Caleb Wait for Core Christianity
There’s something nerve-wracking about raising your hand in the classroom. It means the teacher and everyone else has to stop what they’re doing and listen to you. If you’re in the third grade and the person teaching is Miss Muller, the sweetest English teacher in the world, you might not think twice about raising your hand. But if your teacher is a renowned figure, asking a question requires a certain amount of bravery. You don’t want to waste their time or embarrass yourself in front of your peers by asking something they already know.
Jesus was often called Rabbi, or teacher. If you skim through the Gospels, you’ll see three things about the way Jesus handles questions:
1. Jesus welcomes questions in his ministry.
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In his earthly ministry, Jesus is referred to by nearly everyone as “teacher.” Thousands of people traveled far and near to hear Jesus teach and expound the Scriptures; and yet, even amidst his acclaim, Jesus remained accessible and approachable. The Gospels record 183 questions directed at Jesus, spanning from, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” (Mark 10:2-3) to “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29).
The religious leaders often concocted questions as a way to entrap Jesus. In Mark 12, the Pharisees and Herodians ask him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion…. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” (v. 14) But Jesus sees their hypocrisy and responds accordingly: “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.’ And they brought one. And he said to them, ‘Whose likeness and inscription is this?’ They said to him, ‘Caesar’s.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they marveled at him.” (Mark 12:15-17)
