It Is Good to Question (part 2)
Your spiritual health is often found more in what you ASK than what you tell
In part 1, we looked at the questions we asked. Just as powerful, possibly more so, is looking at how Jesus asked questions and what He might be asking us. If you are one of those people who struggle with time to pray or meditate or reflect, then this article could be a game-changer for you.
We found unhealthy religious tendencies in some of the questions people asked Jesus in the New Testament. No need to rehash all that here, but please go to part 1 if you missed it. It is worthwhile to contrast that form of questioning with the way Jesus did it. He was a master inquirer. Jesus is a Socratic genius who could do with a single question what I am unable to do with an entire sermon.
You will find His questions center on relationships. That is what mattered to Jesus. His questions confronted people’s religious limitations, not to condemn them, but to set them free.
Whether He was interacting with religious authorities, His own disciples, disabled individuals, government officials, men or women, He could meet them where they were and take them somewhere else at the same time with just a question. His questions were differentiated to apply to their unique situation because of who they were, and His questions also demonstrated a supernatural capacity to lift them above their circumstances because of who He was. As you examine the list below,1 see if you don’t agree that Jesus was exceptional at asking the right questions in the right ways.
Why are you thinking these things? (Mark 2:8)
Who are my mother and brothers? (Mark 3:33)
Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl? (Mark 4:21)
Why are you afraid? (Mark 4:40)
Do you have no faith? (Mark 4:40)
Who do people say I am? Who do you say I am?2 (Mark 8:27)
What good is it to gain the whole world and give up your own soul? (Mark 8:36)
What do you want me to do for you? (Mark 10:36)
Do you want to get well? (John 5:6)
Do you want to leave (me) too? (John 6:67)
Have I not chosen you? (John 6:70)
Do you believe in me? or Do you believe me? (John 9:35)
Will you (really) lay down your life for me? (John 13:38)
Why are you crying? (John 20:15)
Who is it you are looking for? (John 20:15)
Do you truly love me?3 (John 21:16)
I have tried out a new practice of taking one of these questions, or a different one more appropriate for the day, each morning and using it to generate a prayer conversation. It gives me more of a sense of a conversation rather than obligation. I am sure that at some point this will become old to me and I will move on to a new way of interacting with God, which is perfectly all right. So, if you find it helpful, try out one of these questions every now and then.
The thing about prayer is there is no set formula that dictates when, where, with whom, or how you must do it. Jesus modeled it for us, but it can be with others or alone. It can be private or public. It can be for our own needs or blessings for others. You can pray anytime, anywhere, with anyone, for anything, in any position, on any occasion. If you are stuck, letting Jesus ask a question of you may be a simple way to get unstuck.
The list is clearly not exhaustive. There are many more questions that could be added. I pulled some of the most interesting from the Gospels of Mark and John.
I actually believe this is the most critical question of all. I devote a whole chapter to it in my book, You Don’t Have To Do That.
It is important to note that I am not a fan of taking Scripture verses out of context, but I tried to settle on cross-cultural, multi-generational questions in this list that would be relevant to all kinds of people in all kinds of circumstances. I suggest reading these questions in their Biblical context and they become even more poignant and impressive, which is why I included the Bible references.