Are You Asking The Right Questions?

 If I’m trying to drive to a particular location and find myself in need of directions, the kind of questions I ask the locals will affect my ability to arrive at my desired destination. For example, if I ask, “Is it possible to get to _____ by taking this road?”, I might receive an answer such as: “Well, it’s technically possible, but it will certainly involve some confusing and difficult routes!” However, if I ask, “What is the best possible way to get to _____?”, I’ve provided a wide opening for my road assistant to give me his big picture view of the most beneficial route.

Just as our ability to drive depends on asking the right questions, so does our ability to accurately and wisely discern the Scriptures. Many take a pet topic to the Bible with the question of “Is ____ a sin or not?”, as if the Bible was written as a bland law code or an encyclopedia of morality. Many approach issues of godliness or salvation or the church by simply looking for specific lines in the sand and then feel justified in living however they want when the Bible doesn’t explicitly answer their questions. A selfish and misplaced concentration on “How far is too far?” doesn’t lead to true knowledge of God’s character. It certainly doesn’t lead to mature appreciation of the richness of the Bible narrative and the foundational principles and themes that permeate the entirety of Scripture; it simply leads to ignorance and flirtation with spiritual disaster.

The Pharisees are good examples of this trap. They approached Jesus in Matthew 19.3 with a question that was controversial in their time (and ours): “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” They wanted Jesus to locate the precise line of sin. It is significant that Jesus did not directly reply with “yes” or “no.” He told them that they were asking the wrong question. Hadn’t they read in Genesis about the origin and blueprint of marriage? Didn’t they understand that when two people marry, God intricately weaves them together, body and soul? Man must not break apart the permanent and beautiful designs of God. Aha!, the Pharisees craftily replied. What about Deuteronomy 24.1-4? Clearly the Scriptures allow a man to divorce his wife! Jesus deftly dismantled their question by pointing out that God was simply regulating an ungodly practice of which He did not approve. “From the beginning…” God wanted married couples to retain their permanent bond until death. In their misguided fixation on the wrong question, the Pharisees missed fundamental truth about God and His designs.

Instead of just asking “Is it lawful…”, why not ask, how can I best please the Lord (Ephesians 5.10)? How can I best contribute to the plan to unite all things in Christ (Ephesians 1.10)? How can I best display the wisdom of God to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places (Ephesians 3.10)? Are you asking the right questions?

Nathan