Questions
Matthew 16
When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’
The life and ministry of Jesus frequently raised questions. And Jesus, always desiring to speak the truth, answered them as directly as possible. With one exception, he did not duck any question, even when he knew that his answer would not sit well with the questioner.
Speaking as one of his followers, I can attest that Jesus was an enigmatic figure, one who never failed to surprise us or make us wonder. And our questions focused not only on what he said and did, but more deeply, on who Jesus was, his very identity.
Why did he spark so many questions? What was there about Jesus that caused so many folks to question him? I’ll come back to that in a bit.
But first, let me recount some of the questions that stood out in his three-year ministry.
Many of them came from those who felt threatened by Jesus, and who opposed him. You can’t miss them when you read the Gospel accounts. And of course, you can’t fail to see their intent, which was to trap Jesus into an answer that violated their view of the Jewish law and traditions. These very pointed questions revealed a not-so-well hidden agenda on the part of Pharisees, scribes, and others. Here’s a sample of them:
Mark 2: 16: When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax-collectors, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax-collectors and sinners?’
Mark 2: 18: … and people came and said to him, ‘Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?’
Mark 2: 24: The Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?’
Mark 7: 5: ‘Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?’
Mark 10; 2: Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’
Mark 12: 14: ‘Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?’
Mark 14: 61: ‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?’
Mark 6: 2: ‘Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’
John 7: 15: ‘How does this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?
John 8: 5: ‘Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’
John 8: 48: ‘Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?’
John 8: 53: ‘Who do you claim to be?’
John 8: 58: ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?’
John 9: 2: ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’
John 12: 34: ‘We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?’
John 18: 33: ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’
John 19: 8: ‘Where are you from? Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?’
Mark 11: 28: ‘‘By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?”
Note that this was the one question which Jesus did not answer. Sensing the intent of their question, he turned it back on them, asking if the baptism of John was of God or of man. And they would not answer Jesus.
Please also note that most of the questions of opposition were aimed at the system of rules and traditions that first century Jews were compelled to follow. You may remember that Jesus put people ahead of the rules, declaring that God desired mercy and not sacrifice. But so many of his questioners were fixated on the rules and traditions to the extent that you could say that they worshiped them.
On the other hand, there were also honest questions from the followers of Jesus, including me, and also from others, trying to comprehend who he was:
Mark 8: 4: His disciples replied, ‘How can one feed these people with bread here in the desert?’
Mark 10: 17: ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’
Mark 12: 28: ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’
Matthew 3: 13: ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’
Matthew 18: 1: ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a child, whom he put among them, …’
Matthew 18: 21: ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’
Luke 10: 29: ‘And who is my neighbor?’
John 3: 4: ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’
John 4: 9: ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’
John 4: 11: ‘Where do you get that living water?’
John 6: 28: ‘What must we do to perform the works of God? What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing?’
John 10: 24: ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’
John 13: 36: ‘Lord, where are you going?’ Jesus answered, ‘Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow afterwards.’ Peter said to him, ‘Lord, why can I not follow you now?’
John 14: 5: ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’
John 13: 6: ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’
We also asked Jesus to explain his parables, most of which were far beyond our understanding. And we asked him when he would restore the Kingdom of Israel, a hope of many for centuries.
And though we asked so many questions, at least our questions were honest, and not meant to trick Jesus.
But you must be wondering: why was it so difficult for us to understand Jesus? After all, we walked with him every day, listening to him teach and watching him perform miracles. How could we not see clearly?
All I can say in response is that Jesus was new; he was different; and to a large degree, he was, to many, totally unexpected. Many expected a Messiah in the mold of Moses or King David, a leader who would restore the kingdom of Israel, by force if necessary. Don’t forget, we lived in a time of great oppression, under the heel of the Roman occupation. For many, the greatest hope was for our freedom.
But Jesus didn’t overturn the Romans. Instead, he re-oriented our faith from one of obedience to our myriad rules and traditions, to a vision of love and mercy. And sacrifice.
Jesus said it best when he used the symbol of the new piece of cloth that would tear away from the old, and of the new wine that could not be held by the old wineskins. Truly, Jesus was the new cloth and the new wine!
This may surprise you, but there were even questions from demons:
Mark 1: 23: Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?
Mark 5: 7: ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?’
Note that the demons seemed to automatically know who Jesus was. Yet, ironically, those of us who followed Jesus seemed to be in the dark, attempting to put our minds around who he was. Was he Isaiah’s “suffering servant?” A king? The Prince of Peace? A “man of sorrows?” The Son of God? Jesus called himself the Son of Man. What exactly did that mean?
And yes, even John the Baptist, who had previously baptized Jesus and claimed that Jesus was the “Lamb of God,” had enough doubt that he sent his disciples to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’
What do all of these questions mean to you and me? You must answer for yourself, but personally, I take great comfort in them. I mean, there was no one like Jesus. He exceeded all of our attempts to define him. Jesus was always more; more than human words can describe. And in my opinion, that’s as it should be.
Jesus understood our questions and even our doubts. He was patient. He never threw a question back in our face. When he called his first apostles, his simple invitation was to “come and see.” And that invitation continues even today. So, with Jesus, don’t be ashamed of your questions. And don’t be surprised if he amazes you with his very presence! Just like us, you are invited to “come and see.”
And sooner or later, each one of us must answer the most important question of all time, the question that Jesus himself asked of his followers: “Who do you say that I am?”
Who Do You Say?
Phil Bauguess