God Loves to Ask Questions
I once did a study on Jesus interacting with people. I was surprised to find that he asked more questions than he gave answers, and inquired more than he declared. This reveals something about the nature of God that, to me, is quite beautiful and intriguing.
In the article “The Power of the Question,” Paul Woolley says, “Jesus is often thought of as giving answers but, actually, he’s full of questions. Even as a boy, he was found sitting among the teachers in the temple asking them questions. ‘And all who heard him were amazed’ (Luke 2:47). In fact, Jesus is recorded as asking 307 questions in the Gospels. In contrast, he directly answers only three of the 183 questions he is asked. Just three. And on at least one occasion he does not know the answer to a question addressed to him (Mark 13:4a and 32).”
One event that exemplifies God’s desire to ask questions is in Luke 24, where he meets the two disciples on their way to Emmaus. As I read this story, one thing immediately stands out: they didn’t recognize him. That’s right, the Father’s resurrected Son was standing right before them and they missed him; they just couldn’t see it (I assume they imagined that he was just another ordinary man).
It’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that they couldn’t recognize the One who had just busted out of the grave, much less acknowledge the presence of the One in whom all things exist. Maybe they were just too discouraged and in despair to see what stood before them? Perhaps their unmet expectation (of a king overtaking their world) spoke louder than their hope? Anyways, whatever is going on, one thing becomes apparent: Jesus doesn’t let their blindness stand in the way of the interaction; instead, as he always does, he continues to pursue them in the moment. As such, he starts asking questions; he wants to break past the veil of their ignorance and into the revelation of them seeing the Way, the Truth, and the Life—one that would cause their hearts to burn within them (it’s after Jesus leaves that they realize what had just transpired and said “Did not our hearts burn within us”).
The first question he asked was "What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking” (Luke 24:17). Think about this for a second: more than likely, Jesus already knew what was going on inside of them, yet he persisted to ask a question. He wanted to get inside of their conversation. That’s right, he didn’t run up in the middle of the two, flexing his muscles or boastfully declaring what he and the Father had just done. More than likely, that’s what you and I would’ve done (on top of making a social media post about it). Instead, the Son of God acted as if he knew nothing of what had just transpired. To say it simply, he played dumb.
Again, this reveals something beautiful and intriguing about the nature of the Father.
One of those being: God meets us in our story, even when we don’t have all the facts right. In fact, he even lets us tell our side of the story, in order to get inside of it and reveal the truest nature of who he is. Even if that means he has to act ignorant or play dumb. He often does this by asking questions and inquiring about where we are in the narrative. Look at the three questions that Jesus asked before he begins to unveil their eyes to who he is.
“And He said to them, “‘What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?’” 24:17
“And He said to them, “‘What things?’” 24:19
“‘Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?’” 24:26
Luke doesn’t tell us how long this interaction took place. This unfolding could’ve taken several minutes or it could’ve taken hours. Nevertheless, one thing stands out: the Father is patient to walk with us, talk with us, and hear our side of the story. Much like a counselor, he carefully inquires, meets us in the process, and allows us the necessary space to hear his questions and insert our viewpoint. And in the right moment, he takes that viewpoint and begins to transform us with the power of his wisdom.
God knows the wisdom that we need to encounter already resides within us, and by asking questions, he calls forth that truth to rise to the surface of our consciousness. This is what it means to have the mind of Christ.
We also see this sort of Fatherly-inquiry in the early stages of the creation story, where the Father asks Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” (See Genesis 3:9). It’s actually quite interesting to imagine God asking a question when he is the All-Wise One. Nonetheless, I tend to think something significant is taking place in order for him to inquire. Seeing that God is at the core, relational, I imagine he wasn’t asking a simplistic question concerning their geographical location, but that he was inquiring of where they were in the process of their journey. He wanted to know where they were in the whole narrative. Another way of saying it would be to ask, “What’s going on inside of you right now?” I assume the Father knew exactly what their state of mind was, however he just wanted them to voice it so they could reason together in a relational manner. He wanted to draw out what was stirring on the inside.
We could go on and on with the myriad of questions found within the scriptures, but I won't. What I will do is ask you: what question(s) is the Father asking you in this moment? What transformation does he desire to lead you into, as he walks with you and talks with you by way of questions?
Whatever those are, I encourage you: keep your hearts and ears open. Maybe your next moment of transformation will come in the form of a question?!
Blessings!
RA
