Several weeks ago, I posted an article about the fact that many times, we ask theological questions in order to mask personal questions. My conclusion was that there’s a lot of value in simply asking, “Why do you ask?” instead of just answering the question even if you know the answer.
One commenter took exception with the post and pointed out that answering a question with a question is an annoying practice.
I get where he’s coming from, especially if you’re in a trigonometry or history class, because in those classes, all you really want is the answer. You’re dealing in the realm of facts and you’re an objective party to those facts.
But theology is different. Or at least it should be.
Theology isn’t just for libraries and classrooms; this is real life stuff. It is, in fact, the realest of the real. Every theological truth has a personal implication. What you believe impacts the way you live, otherwise you don’t really believe it. Conversely, we often pose theological questions either because some circumstance has jarred our real life, or from a negative standpoint, we are doing something we know we shouldn’t be doing and are looking for a theological loophole to continue that behavior. In the second instance, we use theological questions as a cover to hide behind rather than addressing the specific behavior and the faulty belief that is motivating that behavior.
In either case, there is no such thing as ivory tower theology. Theology is about life. Always. Because God is about life. Always.
But don’t just take my word for it. Think about the example of Jesus. Think about how frustrating it must have been at times to have a question, ask it to the Son of God, and in return, get a story. Or another question. Or a teaching that only seems to vaguely relate to what you were asking about. Why did Jesus do this? Why didn’t He just answer questions directly?
Perhaps it’s because of the above truth, that Jesus understood more than any of us ever will that theology is about life.
Perhaps one case study will help. In John 4, Jesus met a Samaritan woman at a well. They began to talk, and she wanted to take the conversation into the realm of theological hypotheticals, asking Jesus about where the true place of worship whould be. But the Son of God would have none of this theoretical bologna.
Jesus told her to get her husband. In so doing, He exposed the behavior in her life that she was most ashamed of, her point of greatest vulnerability. Jesus took theory to real life in the blink of an eye. He’s still doing the same thing. We mustn’t think that we can play silly thinking games with Jesus. He knows our hearts. He knows what’s really behind the question. So ask the question – but be ready, because Jesus might just ask one back.
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Reminds me of Fred Craddock (remember him?) … he would rarely actually SAY the propositional truth or point he was making, but would imply it strongly enough for you to want to think about it and come to the proper conclusion. Of course, most Baptist congregations LOATHE this 😉
Ah, Craddock. Totally remember. CNN just did a great article about his life. You should check it out:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/27/us/craddock-profile/index.html
This reminds me of one of my favorite professors who always told me that theology was about truth not answers to questions. Far too often my theology is a quest for an answer to a question, and not a search to know the character of God.
Why Didn’t Jesus Ever Answer Questions? Hmmm… He probable got lessons from my wife 😉
But all that changed after we took the Alpha Marriage Course (highly recommended to all couples).
After the marriage couse, instead of answering all my questions with another question, she now occasionally answers them with a Command!
that aside……
He wants us to THINK!!! The Pharisees were followers and He certainly did not want Christians going down that religious road. He wants us to Think with our Hearts in Love.
If we are given everything in a silver plate, we will value nothing.
Blessings
…So ask the question – but be ready, because Jesus might just ask one back…
I love asking (and hearing) questions about God, and I know He’s not afraid of the questions. The key is to ask genuine questions. “Seek and you will find.”
http://www.questionsareok.com
I was always taught that the Rabbis thought the smarter man would ask a question after being asked a question and the answer to the second question was the answer to the first. It’s like pigeon holing the first person who asked.
For example.
Question one from child -Mom, can I go out tonight with my friends?
Question two from mom – Is the sky green?
When the child answered the second question, in reality he was answering his own. By doing this the Rabbis would challenge one another to see who was the more intellect. This is a game Jesus played with them as well.
Thanks for this insight, Kevin.
I have been doing a study on this very matter. Actually Jesus didn’t just answer questions for the sake of doing it. We must realize everything Jesus did was with purpose in mind. This was His way of learning. His occupation was that of a Rabbi; therefore, young boys who were aspiring to become Rabbis in Jesus’s day learned via what was called the Jewish art of questions and answers. By the age of 14 all Jewish boys had memorized the entire Hebrew scriptures from Genesis to Malachi. If they desired to become a Rabbi, and they did, they would need to pass through what was called the House of Learning. There, they would began learning the Jewish art answering with questiones.
After completion of the House of Learning the young boy would then go on to the House of Study. There he would present himself to a Rabbi and ask to become that Rabbi’s disciple. The Rabbi would test the young lad by asking question after question after question and expected the answer to be in the form of a question. This proved to the Rabbi that this young boy was one of the best of the best. This process was necessary because all Rabbis wanted only the best of the best to take on his way of thinking, his way of doing and his interpretation of scripture. If the young boy could pass the test then the Rabbi would know that he too would become a Rabbi and teach his Rabbis’ philosophy and interpretation of scripture. There the Rabbi would say “Follow Me.”
Sounds familiar? Jesus, said the same thing, to His disciples “Follow Me.” Only, He asked the rejects to follow Him, those who did not make it through the growling art of answering by question. It was every Jewish boy dream to become a Rabbi and every Jewish Father’s dream for his son to become a Rabbi. However, there were some who didn’t make the cut. They went back home to take up the family trade in hopes that perhaps their son would become the Rabbi that they did not. Jesus was there to pick up the rejects, those who did not make the cut. Jesus is not interested about how much scripture one can memorize, He desire is that we give Him our lives, live for Him, carry on His doctrine, His way of life and His way of doing things.
I hope this gives some insight as to why Jesus asked a question with a question. May the Lord richly bless all those who will become and are His disciples.
You are right! Well written!!
Hey there Mike,
No offense, but this is a myth. Yes, I agree with your general point. But if you actually go through the gospels and read every question and count the number of times people asked Jesus a literal question they actually wanted an answer for (as opposed to the rhetorical pontifications of some) he answered way way more of them than he didn’t. For example. The disciples? They asked him 40 questions in the gospels, and he answered all of them. (Obviously they were duplicated questions because the gospels retell the same stories, but you get my point.) And one of the most interesting (and relevant to this post) questions they asked him was “WHY DO YOU TELL PARABLES!?!?”
But Jesus even answered a surprisingly high percentage of other people’s questions (including Pharisees)… like basically all of them. Even your example of the woman at the well is all sideways, and adds to this myth.
She asks him, “what the heck, why are you talking to me, you are a jew?!?”
He says, “if you knew who I was, you’d ask me for a drink.”
She asks him, “wait what? where will you get this water from?”
He says, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
You consider these non-answers? He just told a samaritan woman (both significant adjectives) the meaning of life with that answer. Granted, she didn’t understand yet. But she would. She and her whole village would…
Then she says, “Give me this water then.” (Technically not a question)
Jesus response, “bring your husband…”
She then asks about where the correct place to worship is, Jerusalem or here on this mountain? (Actually, technically another non-question… it was a statement. And she was trying to avoid talking about her sin… which, I would have done too.)
And he responds with a very very real answer, “a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth.”
And finally she says, “welp, once the Messiah comes, then we will know and he’ll give us the 411.”
Jesus answers with, “I am He.”
To be clear, Jesus just told her 4 different clear answers. And two of them was His revealing himself as THE MESSIAH, whom he hardly did with his own disciples. If you are going to draw from the gospels to prove that Jesus didn’t answer questions, and that he countered about life… this is not the passage to do that from. And actually, I would argue, there really isn’t a good passage to do that from… because Jesus went well out of his way to even answer the hostile questions thrown at him. But it’s because of posts like this one and other flippant, non-researched, comments that this idea has become mainstream. And it is incorrect.
Granted… I don’t disagree with your point. Christ cared about our lives, and our hearts. Not about specifics or about details to a particular question. But He also cared about our specific question too. I dive deeper into this topic here: http://taylorholmes.com/2011/08/04/how-man-questions-did-jesus-answer/
Thanks Michael. Hopefully this will be received in the spirit it was intended.
Taylor