Questions are powerful. A deep, and well-worded question can often cut us like a knife, revealing our true motives and our heart's conditions. Jesus used questions a lot to expose people's motives and to hold up Scripture so that everyone could interpret it better. In a world where everyone is pointing fingers at everyone else, I think we should follow Jesus lead by asking more questions. I want to ask my students more questions, and someday, I want to ask my own children questions to reveal their motives or to discover their character, both the good and the bad. Josh is a master at this -- he often answers my questions with a question -- and when he does, I know I'm about to learn something. And if I'm honest with myself, that's a good thing.
Man, I wish I could see the four different scenes that play out today! Four different questions are asked, and most of them are with evil motives. Yet, they are four wins for "our side" for sure. I am quite hopeful that since I love movies and am dying to be a fly on the wall in Jesus' day, that I might be able to re-watch all of history on the biggest screen with the best surround sound in Heaven. (And I suppose if that's not part of the plan up there, I will be more than excited to do whatever is planned.) Here, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Herodians (a political party that followed Herod), are putting their hate for one another aside for the common cause of getting Jesus arrested...and they're doing it with questions.
The first scene the groups are asking Him about paying taxes. If He says they should pay their taxes to Caesar, the Pharisees would say He was opposed to God. If He said to pay only to God, then the Herodians would have Him arrested for rebellion. But Jesus exposes their evil motives and embarrasses them both by saying, "So give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Jesus: one; People: zero.
The second scene, they question Him about resurrection. The Saduccees ask the next one because they only read the Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy) in which no direct teaching about the resurrection exists. They pose this story about if a woman's husbands keep dying and she ends up marrying seven different people before she dies, then ask whose wife would she be in Heaven. Yet Jesus, knowing they will only believe Scripture from the Pentateuch, quotes Exodus 3:6, when God says, "I am the God of your ancestors -- the God of Abraham, the God of Issac, and the God of Jacob." If these people are technically dead, then why would God use the present verb of I am meaning currently? Wow! Jesus: two; People: zero.
In the third scene, the Pharisees are giving it another swing again. Scripture says, "One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap Him with this question: 'Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?"' Jesus reply will be familiar to you: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Jesus: three; People: zero.)
Now, we may know this because we've heard that verse many times, but imagine hearing that for the first time. I remember when I realized that those two included ALL His commands. That is quite impressive! And as a quick aside, I heard a great quote this week about all the "don't" in the Bible. I know these don'ts are abrasive to some ears, especially teenagers, or people who just want to do what they want to do. But remember this: When God says "don't," He means don't hurt yourself. So true in my life! The boundaries are there for our protection and our good. I know this to be true.
Finally, Jesus asks THEM a question, playing their game: "What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is He?" They reply that he is the son of David. Jesus responds, "Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, call Him Lord? For David said, 'The LORD said to my Lord, sit in honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies beneath your feat.' Since David called Him Lord, how can he be his sun at the same time?" And the Bible says, "No one could answer him, and from that day on no one dared to ask Him any more questions." (Jesus: four; People: zero.) Notice also, that he responded to ALL of these questions with Scripture. May that be a reminder to us to keep memorizing! The Word is our arsenal, friends!
Questions are powerful. If I'm wanting to live in truth, I don't want to shy away when a question is asked of me, and I hope I can wisely and tactfully learn to pose questions of others out of my love for them. I will be having a truthful conversation soon with a young woman whom I love dearly, and I think I need to be praying how I may ask her questions regarding some of the choices she's making. Perhaps you can use this idea of questions, too -- it's much better than pointing fingers -- and we can watch and learn how to do it from the Master himself!
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