Questions from Jesus.

What I have noticed about the questions Jesus asked, is that he invited people to speak their mind honestly. It was up to them what they would say or decide. He didn’t try to talk people into anything; he respects our freedom of choice.

Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”   He said, “Come and see.”  John 1:38

So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?”

Healing. Even when Jesus knew what people wanted, he asked them to tell him first. Even though God knows what we need, he wants us to ask him anyway.

When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”

And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”

The woman caught in adultery was probably feeling embarrassed. When she wasn’t stoned to death, and the men walked away, she didn’t speak first. Perhaps her face was red and tear-stained. She probably couldn’t look Jesus in the face. So, in asking a question, it made it easier for her to speak.

 “Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Now go and sin no more.”

Many times, Jesus asked people if they believed he was the Messiah, the Son of God. He asked so they could declare openly their belief in him. I have heard that speaking something out loud cements in your mind what you believe.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”  John 11:25,26

Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”   John 9:35

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”   And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”   Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”   Matthew 16:13-16

And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. Luke 18:19 (In other words, who do you think I am?)

Jesus had hard questions for those who opposed him. They were constantly hounding him with questions and accusing him of having a devil. From what I remember, they were the ones who always started a conversation with Jesus. He didn’t hold back any punches.

“Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?   John 8:46

Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message.  You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.  But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me!   John 8:43-45

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”   Luke 6:46

“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”  Matthew 7:3

Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.”  They didn’t dare. Mark 11:30

And the last question, one of the saddest, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”   Luke 22:48  I think Jesus was trying to get Judas to think about what he was doing. Jesus would have forgiven Judas, but he just would not repent.

Well, those aren’t all the questions Jesus asked, but those were the ones I remember. What I love about Jesus is his total honesty, singleness of purpose and bravery. I love his respect for the human race in the total freedom he has given us to accept him or not. Most of all, I love his heart of love.

Share this:

God's Questions to Us.

Over the years of reading the Bible, I’ve come to appreciate the questions God has asked people. His questions are always deep with meaning and sometimes a call to repentance. I like that he asks people to explain themselves to him. The questions make them either make excuses or say they are sorry.

When man first sinned, God gave him the chance to explain himself. The Bible says, “Then the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”  and later, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"   Genesis 3:9

Instead of repenting, Adam and Eve blamed each other and the serpent. But God was merciful to them. The next person God questioned was Cain.

Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"   Genesis 4:9

God gave Cain a chance to tell him what he had done and repent. He didn’t, in fact, he was flippant about it. This was the first human death and it was a murder. God gave him a punishment, but when Cain complained about it, God helped him.

Moses didn’t want to go back to Egypt to bring God’s people out of slavery. He made many excuses, and one of them was that he was not an eloquent speaker. God wouldn’t accept any of his excuses and asked him this:

Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?   Exodus 4:11  God is telling him to trust him because he is the mighty God who can do anything.

Balaam was a prophet of God. But as Israel was coming into the promised land, King Balak of Midian, asked him to come and curse the Israelites. He was afraid of them because he knew they were coming to take his land. When the messengers came to ask Balaam to do this he said he would ask God what to do. God told him, “No.”  The men went and told the king his answer, but he sent them again with more money. Balaam told them to stay another night and he would ask again.

And God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?”   Numbers 22:9

Balaam explained and God gave an answer Balaam didn’t like. He ended up chasing the messengers and going to King Balak. His heart had become greedy.

Job, the man of God who suffered the loss of all things, questioned God. He didn’t understand why God was letting all these terrible things happen to him. God’s question is a stark one.

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Job 38:4

This was a question to make Job think about whom he was questioning. God is Almighty, all-knowing, all-seeing. Can we humans make a flower out of nothing? No. But God can. Look at the vastness of the universe. Look at what God can do and what he has made. Study the human body and how it works and you will be in awe.

We may not like this question and answer of God’s; but that’s too bad. Lol.

Jonah was the prophet God sent to the wicked city of Ninevah. They were a brutal nation, killing thousands of people to take their lands. God told Jonah to go there and tell them he was going to destroy them. Jonah didn’t want to and ran away, but later he went since God wouldn’t let him get away with that.

The people of Ninevah repented! How wonderful! Jonah should have been happy, but he wasn’t. He probably hated these people and also thought he might be considered a false prophet. God asked him a question to teach him compassion:

“And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left (this means children), and also much cattle?”  Jonah 4:11

Elijah was one of the greatest prophets in the Bible. But he ran away in fear when Queen Jezebel threatened him with death. He was in the wilderness and tired and asked God to take his life. Instead, God sent an angel to give him food, water and comfort. Elijah was wandering in the wilderness for 40 days.

There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”   1 Kings 19:9  I love this question. Elijah told God about all his troubles. But God told him he still had many people in Israel who still worshiped him. He told Elijah to go back, and he did. Eventually, he was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire. Good old Elijah.

These are some of God’s questions in the Old Testament. I’m going to continue next post about the questions Jesus asked of People.