Questions to Our Questions
People will ask us questions when we seek to live like Jesus. Conviction can cause them to examine us rather than themselves. But we don’t have to take it personally. Questions can spark more questions and an answer led by the Spirit can bring healing and open eyes. When we expect questions and rise above man’s opinion, clinging to God’s word, we can see God’s purposes and do His will on earth. And sometimes we need to ask ourselves questions, too.
Questions Others Ask Us.
Questions others ask us can make us react with offense or cause us to examine ourselves. The Pharisees, Scribes and Saduccees loved to ask Jesus questions to stump Him. Jesus just asked them questions in return.
Today in book of Luke, 18-20.
There is so much happening in these verses. Jesus taught with parables, he spoke to a rich young ruler, predicted His death, healed a blind man, visited Zacchaeus, Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and we see the authority of Jesus questioned. Let’s tackles some of this.
Jesus told stories to draw us in.
Jesus wanted to engage with us. Stories engage us to be a part of the story. Jesus is sharing parables to help us identify with the characters in thee story and Luke reveals the purpose of those parables before sharing them:
Luke 18:1, “Now he told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not give up.”
The parable of the persistent widow reminds us of the importance of perseverance in crying out and seeking God.
Luke 18:7 “Will not God grant justice to his elect who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay helping them?”
Then the next parable in Luke 18 is about people who are self-righteous. We see this purpose of the parable in verse 9:
“He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else.”
Those who boast about their own righteousness forfeit the grace that has been given to them. It is only God’s grace that is operating within us that helps us to do anything good.
A Question of our Motives
We are not justified by good deeds or our own “righteousness”, but by God’s. When we question our motives, we help ourselves to have a pure heart.
Sometimes We Don’t Understand the Question.
Also in Luke 18:31-33 Jesus predicts His death and suffering, but verse 34 says they just did not get it:
“34 They understood none of these things. The meaning of the saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.”
Do you ever experience this, where you do not understand or when others cannot understand what you are saying? We need the Holy Spirit to illumine God’s word for us. We are dependent upon God to open our eyes to understand.
The Answers to Questions Can Sometimes Be Hidden
Ellicott’s commentary on Bible Hub had this to say:
“This saying was hid from them.—The verb so rendered occurs here only in the New Testament. Its precise meaning is “covered” or “veiled,” rather than hidden. Some such thought of dimmed perception was in St. Paul’s mind when he said of the unbelieving Jews that, as they heard the Law and the Prophets, “the veil was upon their hearts” (2Corinthians 3:15).”
Another commentary said the disciples were ignorant, but I daresay that we all are. We are desperate for God to open our eyes. Speaking of opening our eyes, I love how the blind man was pressured by the people around him not to cry out to Jesus, but he did it, anyway.
Questions Can Open Our Eyes.
“35 As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. 36 Hearing a crowd passing by, he inquired what was happening. 37 “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by,” they told him. 38 So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Then those in front told him to keep quiet,[j] but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to him. When he came closer, he asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord,” he said, “I want to see.” 42 “Receive your sight.” Jesus told him. “Your faith has saved you.” 43 Instantly he could see, and he began to follow him, glorifying God. All the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.”
Like the blind man, we see when we rise above man’s opinion and cling to God’s word. We see when we cry out to God.
Questions Can Invite Us to Know God.
In Luke 19:7, in the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus we see another beautiful lesson from Jesus tucked in this story. Reading from verse 5 -9:
5 “When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down because today it is necessary for me to stay at your house.” 6 So he quickly came down and welcomed him joyfully. 7 All who saw it began to complain, “He’s gone to stay with a sinful man.” 8 But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord. And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much.” 9 “Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus told him, “because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”
People will complain when we seek to do the will of God. We need to be like Jesus and seek to please God, not man. Jesus did not cave to peer pressure from man. He did not try to keep up appearances.
Scripture of the Day: Luke 19:26 (NLT)
“‘Yes,’ the king replied, ‘and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.'”
- What we are given by God we will be accountable for.
- Those who do not want to be accountable to God still will be.
In Luke 20, Jesus is asked by what authority He was doing miracles. I cannot imagine asking such a question. But these are the types of questions we are asked today, too.
Jesus often answered with a question.
“One day as he was teaching the people in the temple and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the scribes, with the elders, came 2 and said to him, “Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?”
3 He answered them, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me, 4 was the baptism of John from heaven or of human origin?” 5 They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know its origin. 8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
When I was teaching on a large FB platform (33 MM), someone asked me who I was to be teaching? “Who are you?” the person asked. A child of God was my answer.
You see, we who can see and understand the Gospel are called. We go by Christ’s authority.
We will be asked questions today by people like the Pharisees and scribes who just want to undermine us. May we answer like Jesus did.
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