January 26, 2016
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Asking Questions

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Opening Prayer

God of heaven, Lord of earth, I bow before You. You are my God and I trust in You.

Read LUKE 7:24-35

[24] After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? [25] If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. [26] But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. [27] This is the one about whom it is written: “‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ [28] I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” [29] (All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. [30] But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.) [31] Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? [32] They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: “‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’ [33] For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ [34] The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ [35] But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reflect

As is sometimes said, “Jesus came to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed.”

It’s all right to express doubts, to question. Jesus could have rebuked John for his questions as someone who ought to have known better. Instead, he helped him see the bigger picture (22-23) and then went on to honor him publicly by telling the surrounding crowd that there was no one greater than him (28)! If Jesus was a different sort of king, then John was a different sort of prophet. He was a true prophet, a forerunner of the Messiah (Mal. 3:1). Too gloomy for some, he none-the-less profoundly impacted the lives of those with whom he came into contact. Ordinary people, even tax collectors, had repented and been baptized by him (29). The Pharisees, however, had resoundingly rejected his strong emphasis upon sin (30), criticizing his frugal lifestyle and calling him demonic (33).

However, they complained that Jesus was too much of a party person who befriended the wrong sort of people (34). He wasn’t respectable enough for them. The contrast is marked between Jesus’ response to those like John who asked heartfelt questions and those who tried to sidetrack him with questions so that they didn’t have to take him too seriously. He frequently had strong words for the latter (Mark 7:6-8; Luke 11:37-54).

The Kingdom of God Jesus described and came to inaugurate is uniquely unsettling yet simultaneously deeply comforting, hugely challenging yet very attractive. There is room in that kingdom for those who recognize their need, who want to believe and yet struggle with doubts and questions (Mark 9:21-37). Church leaders are not immune from these struggles but may have no place where they feel safe enough to admit it. If that’s you, be assured that God knows, understands and cares.

Apply

How do we respond to fellow Christians in this position? What can you do to ensure there is sufficient room and acceptance for them to grapple with uncertainties?

Closing prayer

Lord, I know that with You, truth matters. Purify any doubts that have crept into my life and give me compassion for other doubters.

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