Why Jesus Might Leave You In The Dark Of Your Questioning
How aggravating is it when a person answers a question with a question?
I think of my favorite episode of That 70’s Show when the gang gets interrogated by the Canadian border patrol. Leo, the smokey adult tag-along (a typical role for Tommy Chong), answers every official probe with his own recycled question. “What are you doing in Canada?” he retorts.
In Parks And Recreation, one of the greatest shows of our day, Ron Swanson says, “When it comes to Government hearings, the only type of witness I enjoy being is a hostile one. That’s why I intend to answer every one of their questions with a question.”
Or I imagine the nine-year-old neighborhood kid, who, when asked if he chopped the petunias, responds with something obnoxious like, “Is it true that cannibals don’t eat clowns because they taste funny?”
Indeed, it is frustrating when a person earnestly seeks an answer only to be asked a question in response. Yet, time and time again, throughout the Gospels, this is how Jesus responds to many of the disciples’ inquiries. I find myself reading the Bible, and feeling the same way they probably did, wishing Jesus would be more upfront. Just tell it to us straight!
How much more painstaking is it when we are the ones seeking an answer from the Most High? When we can’t sell the house, or we’re struggling with infertility, or we don’t know which career path to pursue, or, in any case, we are broken down by the toils of this life. These are the times in which we need an answer and we are often met with God’s silence or, even worse, more questions.
Despite how frustrating it can be, upon reflection, I find comfort in putting my faith in a God who is not a vending machine, but a wise and loving teacher. Consider Mark 8.
Jesus Feeds The Four Thousand
“During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat…’
His disciples answered, ‘But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?’”
Rather than answer their question, Jesus asked in response, “How many loaves do you have?”
“Seven,” they replied.
Jesus’ reply was a basic question — simple and to-the-point. But, remember, Jesus is God. He surely knew how many loaves they had, and he could have forgone the entire conversation to remedy the issue in one glorious act that satisfied the crowd. Instead, he opened up a dialogue as a school teacher might, welcoming his pupils to invest in the process of learning and participate in his mission.
Verses 6 through 8 continues the story.
“[Jesus] told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so…The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. About four thousand were present.”
Jesus’ Process of Transformation
Think about the best teachers you’ve had; they were the ones who didn’t just talk, but listened. Good teachers share their wisdom, but the best teachers show it, interacting with their pupils and guiding their students through thought and to their own conclusions.
Two thousand years ago, Jesus modeled the best type of educator. He was an effective teacher who didn’t think at his students, but humbled himself enough to think with them. Still, today, he has invited us to invest and participate in his work, not because he needs our help, but because we need to be refined by his process of transformation. He doesn’t always answer our prayers, but he does faithfully respond to our needs while working in us, for us, and with us.
“For thou art our need and in giving us more of thyself, thou givest all.” Kahlil Gibran
If we accept his invitation to invest and participate in his divine work while we wait on earth, by his grace, we might someday find ourselves with seven basketfuls leftover of the very thing we once lacked. Like the bread, he might break it first, but, no matter what, we can trust our great and loving Teacher who has our best interest in mind. Consider this question:
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:26
The product of our prayer is secondary to the person of Christ and his process. He is not a vending machine; he is the Great Teacher. We would do well then to not seek answers, but seek him as The Answer and trust his methods, echoing the prayer of Kahlil Gibran, “For Thou art our need and in giving us more of Thyself, Thou givest all.”
