“When to Question a Question”

By JBH Wonders, 01/2016

“Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath babbling? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?”

Proverbs 23:29

Sometimes the best response to an ignorant/rude/mean/stupid/”wtf” comment or question is to simply ask a question. Jesus did this numerous times. Here are but a few examples:

    In Mathew 9:2 & 3, a man sick with the palsy was brought to Jesus. So Jesus blessed the man and said his sins are forgiven. The  Pharisees  (Sort of a religious/political rabble rousers in those times) were always trying to get Jesus on something so they accused him of Blasphemy (sort of a religious “crime” or insult to a particular religion). Like who is this guy that thinks he can forgive sins?

“And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?”

“For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?”

Then Jesus healed the man and told him to pick up his stuff and go home. The people must have thought Jesus could heal the man since they brought him there. And I think Jesus’ point was that if He can do a miracle healing, He could also forgive sins (duh).

    In Mathew 15:1-3, a group of Scribes (someone who could tran<scribe> words and speech onto paper using text and characters) and Pharisees came to Jerusalem to see Jesus. They seemed to be annoyed because his disciples did not wash up before supper as required by the “traditions of the elders” so they asked him about it.

“But he (Jesus) answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition”

I interpret this to mean that the scribes and Pharisees were too focused on trivial matters and were perhaps being hypocritical.

   Then there is the infamous Mathew 22:15~22 where the Pharisees are trying to trick Jesus into saying something negative about being taxed by Caesar (head honcho of Rome at the time). Today one would say they were trying to see if He was a tax protester or a tax dodger. Jesus responded with two questions during the conversation:

“… Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?”

“Whose is this image and superscription? (In this case the superscription was the words on the coin)”

And then He ended the conversation with the eternal words:

“…Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.”

For an interesting article on this passage in scripture, check out “Romans Chapter 13” by Rev. Chuck Baldwin.. But I digress.

   In Mark 4:36~39 Jesus and his disciples are cruising around on a ship and Jesus decides to take a nap. Then a storm kicks up and the ship is getting beat up and filling with water. So the disciples wake Jesus up and ask him (paraphrased) “Hey we are all dying here. Don’t you care? Jesus responds:

“… Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?”

The disciples question was uncalled for since they already knew that Jesus had healed a mother in law (Mathew 1:30~31), healed a man of palsy (Mathew 2:1~12), and healed a withered (mangled?) hand. (Mathew 3:1~6).

   In Luke 5:17~20 Jesus is teaching a group of people including lawyers, scribes and Pharisees. A man bedridden with the palsy was brought to the gathering in hopes that Jesus would heal him. It was a large gathering and the sick mans' friends could not get him into the building. So they cut a hole in the roof and lowered the bedridden man down through the hole. This shenanigan must have impressed (perhaps entertained)  Jesus as he responded with:

“Man, thy sins are forgiven thee” (Luke 5:20).

Well the scribes and Pharisees did not like that comment so they asked Jesus: “Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”

“But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?”

 (Luke 5:22)

“Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?”

(Luke 5:23)

Then Jesus healed the man and told him to pick up his bed and go home. So he did and was very happy and thankful.

   In Luke 10:26 a lawyer (you know, the guys who studied law and have all the reference books) asks Jesus what he must do to live forever. Jesus responds:

“…What is written in the law? How readest thou?” Like you have the books, didn’t you read the instructions?

   In Luke 12:1~13 Jesus preaches a good sermon teaching us that we are loved by God but there are some rules we must follow to keep in His good graces. Then one man in the crowd pops up and asks Jesus if he would intercede in a squabble the man was having with his brother over some money issues. A question totally irrelevant to anything that was just preached. Jesus responds in 12:14:

“… Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?”

In John 18:19 Jesus has been arrested and is now being interrogated by the high priest (supreme religious leader of the Israelites at the time). The priest basically asks him what has he been doing and saying to get himself arrested. Jesus told the priest that he had no secrets and everyone knew what he had been saying and doing. Perhaps Jesus was a little annoyed at that point as he continued with:

 “Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said.”

(John 18:21)

Well that got him a slap in the face by the officer of the court who also asked how dare he speak to the priest that way. (Court procedures back then were pretty harsh). So then Jesus tells the officer of the court:

“…If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?”

(John 18:23)

So sometimes it is good to answer a question with another question. Perhaps the questiion was not clear. Perhaps the question has no answer. Or perhaps it was just a stupid, ignorant, whatever question that doesn't deserve any answer so you just ask another question to let off steam. However, when we answer a question with a question, we must be sure that our response isn’t an ignorant/rude/mean/stupid/”wtf” comment. And please avoid responding with “Huh”?

“Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.”

Hebrews 5:2