My favorite teachers and profs in school were the ones who engaged us with a question. A riddle that made us think about a problem instead of just giving us an easy answer.
If they posed it, it meant there had to be an answer. And though it might have taken us several tries to actually “get” it, eventually we learned not only the answer but learned skills in looking beneath the surface. We were pushed a bit beyond our normal box of thinking and developed the ability to dig deeper and look closer. (For those of you who went to school with me, Mr. Booth comes to mind…:-) )
And wouldn’t you know it? My very favorite teacher, Jesus, did (and does) the same thing. We’ve been looking at the book of John in the 20’s and 30’s group that meets at our house on Tuesday nights. We are only on chapter 6, but already in nearly every chapter Jesus has asked a question right at the point of a teaching moment.
Chapter 1 – Two of John’s followers who began following Jesus – “What do you want?”
Chapter 2 – Jesus’ mother, Mary – “Dear woman, why do you involve me?”
Chapter 3 – Nicodemus, part of the Jewish ruling council – “You are Israel’s teacher and do you not understand these things?”
Chapter 4 – Samaritan woman at the well – “Will you give me a drink?”
Chapter 5 – Disabled man at the pool in Bethesda – “Do you want to get well?”
Chapter 6 – His disciples when 5,000 people gathered to hear Jesus – “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”
So many times we go to Jesus for answers, but how many times do we let Him teach us through the questions He poses? Are we listening for those questions? Are we ready to dig deeper with Him and look at the questions He asks as part of the process of learning the answer in a more profound and lasting way?
When Jesus asked me, “Does Leslie Marie know me?” He already knew the answer. But He wanted me to grow in finding out that answer and addressing it. Isn’t it interesting that what I heard was a question and not a statement? Hmmmmmm….
Maybe when we ask for an answer, Jesus asks us the question in return. Maybe He’s asking us to look at His Word, to His character, to the things we know about Him and His heart to receive the answer. Maybe we get a clear answer. And maybe by the time we do all of that, we find out we were asking the wrong thing in the first place. That the answer we thought we were looking for pales in comparison to something far more profound that can change our thinking completely and deepen our faith and our connection to Jesus in ways we never dreamed. And if we’re lucky, we may just come away with better spiritual vision than we had when we started the quest.
I think they call that wisdom. 🙂
I call it delicious. Something worth savoring and enjoying, knowing that something of eternal worth just happened inside of us making us just a little bit more like our Favorite Teacher….
Mark 6:34 – When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.
Luke 10:39 – Mary sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.
Matthew 13:11 – Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven…”
