What Would Jesus Ask? (W.W.J.A) | Reflections On A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger —Part 4

The First Question God Asks

If Jesus were standing in front of you what kind of questions would he ask you? Why do you think that? Is there a pattern to the type of questions that Jesus asks? The only way to find out is to study His Word. The first question we see God ask man in Genesis is “Where are you?” But yet He already knew where Adam and Eve were. So why did He ask a question? Are we like Adam and Eve hiding from God or are we seeking him. A question draws us out into the open. It forces us to engage. How does God want to engage with you? What can Jesus teach us about engaging with others?

Jesus the Question Asker

When writing this series of blogs posts about questioning, I started thinking about the great question askers of all time. And do you know who came to mind? Jesus! He’s always sneakily getting out of the Pharisees traps by posing a question back at them.  He is continually challenging people’s mindsets and hearts which forces people to think differently. Jesus gets at what is really going on inside a person, which is cool to read about but scary if you are on the receiving end.

As I was thinking about Jesus and questioning, I realized I never really analyzed Jesus’s questioning strategies. What kind of questions would Jesus ask? Is there anything I can learn from Him? Of course, I can! We can always learn more by imitating Jesus. But after doing some research I was a little surprised by my findings.

Background

Asking good questions is critical for educators. So I started a series of posts reflecting on questioning which was inspired by Warren Berger’s book, A More Beautiful Question. This post is the 4^th post in a series of posts for educators and leaders. My former posts in this series are the following:

• How Can a Question Be So Powerful?| Reflections on A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger–Part 1
• How Can I Ask an Impactful Question?|Reflections on A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger —Part 2
• Part 3: How to Practically Create a Culture of Questioning? |A Reflection on A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger—Part 3 

My Methodology

I started just by going through the gospels and recording every single question that Jesus asked. Then I started separating them into categories. From there I analyzed the types of questions he asked, and some were very surprising to me! Although I am including many examples of Jesus’s questions, this post is not an exhaustive list. (Note: All my Scripture citations in this post are from the NIV.)

 

Types of Questions Jesus Asks

1. Rebuking Questions

The biggest surprise was how often Jesus used questions to rebuke people. He rebuked people for having little faith; he rebuked the Pharisees; and he rebuked his disciples.

Questions to Rebuke for Little Faith

Jesus rebuked people for having a lack of faith at least 8 times.  Although a few of those are repeated stories such as Jesus calming the storm. (Matthew 6:30, Matthew 8:26, Matthew 14:31, Matthew 16:8-11, Mark 4:4, Luke 8: 25, Luke 12:28, and Luke 18: 8).

Here are a few examples:

• During difficult times, he calls the disciples out for a lack of faith in the midst of the storm. “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” (Matthew 8:26). He repeats this parable in both Mark and Luke.
• He cautioned people about the lack of faith underlying our worrying. “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith.” (Luke 12:28)
• After telling the parable of the persistent widow, he rebukes the entire world for not having enough faith to persist in prayer. “However when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18: 7-8)

Not only does he rebuke people for a lack of faith, but he uses questions to probe people about their faith (not necessarily rebuking them). For example, he asks two blind men if they truly believe that he can heal them before performing a miracle.  

How can we apply this?

We need to start by examining ourselves. Do we actually live a faith-filled life? Do our actions match what we confess? Do we really believe what Scripture says? Are we obedient to His Word? Are we walking a life of trust?

Another lesson is that as leaders, like Jesus, we need to challenge the the faith of those under our influence.  This is a scary thought in our non-judgmental world. If we are to be like Jesus we need to do so. But we also need to tread with caution and make sure that we address the “log in our own eyes” first.

Questions As a Good Offense (or Defense)

Like a good sports team, Christians need a good offense and defense. Jesus used questioning to do both.  He often uses questions to rebuke the Pharisees both offensively and as a defensive position. Here are a few examples but there are many:

• “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say ‘Get up and walk’?” (Matthew 9:8)
• “If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, buy whom do your people drive them out?” (Matthew 12:26-27)
• “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Matthew 15:3)
• “John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?” (Matthew 21:25)
• “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” (Matthew 22:20)
• “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk?’” (Mark 2:8-9)
• “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” (Mark 3:4)
• “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?” (Luke 20:24)
• “Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?” (John 7:19)
• “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?” (John 8:46)

How can we apply this?

Jesus often responds to a controversial or adversarial conversation with a question. It’s brilliant as it turns the accusation back to the accuser and pierces the heart of the issue. This strategy calls for wisdom in order to implement it effectively. When people attack us, we need to stay calm and pray for wisdom. James clearly states that God will give us wisdom if we ask without doubting. After saying a quick prayer we need to trust the Holy Spirit to guide us and then formulate our response as a question.

Rebuking the Disciples/Others

Jesus doesn’t just rebuke his enemies, but he rebukes those who follow Him. Here are some examples:

• “What were you arguing about on the road?” (Mark 9: 33)
• “Were all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:17)
• “Judas are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Luke 22: 48)
• “You are Israel’s teacher, and do you not understand these things?” (John 3:10)
• “Does this offend you?” (John 6:61)

How can we apply this?

Just because Jesus rebukes us doesn’t mean he doesn’t love us. After all “God disciplines those he loves.” (Hebrews 12:6)

Questions as a Challenge

He also uses questions to challenge us and push us further in our faith:

• “You don’t know what you are asking, can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” (Mark 10:38)
• “Will you really lay down your life for me?”  (John 13:38)
• “Don’t you know me Phillip, even after I have been among you such a long time?” Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?” (John 14:9-10)

How can we apply this?

Is there anything that God is challenging you to do?

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2. Questions Pointing People Back to Scripture

Jesus is constantly referencing Scripture. He challenges people to look back at His Word and read it for themselves. In our culture we may need to teach people Scripture, but most Jews in the first century were scripturally literate, so Jesus just had to say “haven’t you read?”  Another lesson is that people often had a preconceived idea about the Old Testament based on tradition that really didn’t align with what Scripture actually said. Jesus made them confront their misconceptions head on. But notice he didn’t lecture, he just posed the question, which forced the people to do their own research.

Here are the references I found to Jesus challenging people to reread the Old Testament (Matthew 12:3, 5, Matthew 19: 4, Mark 2:25, Mark 9:12, Mark 10:3, Mark 12:24, Mark 12:26, Mark 12:35, Luke 6: 3, Luke 20:17, Luke 20:41, John 5:47)

How can we apply this?

The first thing we need to do is to look at our own cultural biases and hold them up to the light of Scripture.  We need to ask ourselves, “Does Scripture really support this viewpoint? Or is this something that I believe based on the culture I am in or was raised in?”

When mentoring other believers, constantly turn them back to Scripture. Ask them questions such as, “Where can you find that idea in Scripture?” or “Where does …..?” Unfortunately many people today are not Biblically literate, so we may need to guide them by giving them passages to look at. Remember, Scripture interprets Scripture, so it’s important to have a comprehensive understanding of the Bible so we don’t take things in isolation or out of context.

3. Questions As Insults

I was really surprised how much Jesus used questions to insult people. Here are some examples:

• “To what can I compare this generation?” (Matthew 11:16 and Luke 7: 31)
• “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good?” (Matthew 12:34)
• “Are you still so dull?” (Matthew 15: 16, Mark 7:17 and Luke 9: 41)
• “You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?” (Matthew 17:17 and Mark 9:19)
• “And you Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens?” (Matthew 11:23)
• “You hypocrites why are you trying to trap me?” (Matthew 22:18)

How can we apply this?

Truth be told, I’m not exactly sure how to apply this. We aren’t Jesus, so I don’t know how we can insult people without sinning. If you have any good ideas, please leave them in the comments.

4. Questions That Make People Articulate Their Request

It seems that oftentimes, Jesus wanted people to articulate their request before he provided a miracle. For example the centurion in Matthew 8 tells him his problem but doesn’t ask him any specific question. Again blind men (or man depending on the account) yell “Lord, Son of David have mercy on us!” before Jesus asks them “What is it that you want?” (Matthew 20: 32, Mark 10:51, and Luke 18:41.) Jesus wants people to tell him what they want.

How can we apply this?

We need to pray with confidence and specificity knowing that the Lord of all creation who loves us is capable of answering our requests. This should also leave no doubt in our mind when he answers our prayers that the answer came from him and not just by chance.

5. Clarifying Questions

Many times Jesus just asks clarifying questions such as “Have you understood all these things?” (Matthew 13:51) and “Don’t you understand this parable?” (Mark 4:13).

How can we apply this?

When we talk to others about Jesus or about principles from his Word. It’s good to stop and ask questions to make sure that people understand us correctly. Effective educators know that they need to continually use questions to check for understanding.

6. Questions As a Teaching Strategy

As an educator, this is what I really was hoping to understand. How does Jesus use questioning to teach? Unsurprisingly, he uses questioning in a variety of ways and at times these ways can overlap. I will draw attention to a few of these techniques.

Figurative Language

Jesus often uses questioning combined with figurative language to teach the people.

Similes

A simile uses the words like or as to compare two things. Jesus does this when trying to convey difficult concepts.  Again he poses a question, he doesn’t just launch into the comparison. “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to?” (Luke 13:18) and “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to?” (Luke 13:20)

Metaphor

A metaphor is a direct comparison of two things. It’s a little stronger comparison than a simile because it does not use the words like or as. At times when Jesus uses metaphors in his teaching, He states the metaphor and then asks a question. For example, he states in Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?”

Hyperbole

A hyperbole is an exaggeration that is used to make a point. But once again, Jesus doesn’t just state a hyperbole but he uses a question to drive the conversation. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and not pay attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, “Brother let me take the speck out of your eye; when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye?” Luke 6:41-42

Set-Up for a Parable

Oftentimes Jesus uses a question to set-up a parable. Here are some examples:

• “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them?” (Matthew 9:15) Then Jesus launches into The Parable of the Wineskins.
• “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?’” (Luke 6: 46) This leads him into The Parable of The Wise and Foolish Builders.
• “Do you think these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?….Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the other living in Jerusalem?”  (Luke 13:2-4). Jesus uses these questions to set up The Parable of the Fig Tree.

In order to understand these parables, you really need to analyze why he asked these particular questions to set the stage for the parable that follows. What’s the connection?

The Climax of the Parable

Instead of telling people the point of the parable, he often masks the point with a question. And that question is usually the climax of the parable. This is profound. Jesus often uses a question at the climax. How many stories have you read where that’s the case? Take a moment to reflect on the impact of using a question as the climax. Here is a list of some parables with their corresponding climatic question or where the question drives home the point of the parable:

• The Unmerciful Servant: “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” (Matthew 18:34)
• The Workers in the Vineyard: “I am not being unfair to you friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius?  I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” (Matthew 20:15)
• The Tenants of the Vineyard: “When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” (Matthew 21: 40)
• The Sheep and the Goats: “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go visit you?” (Matthew 25: 37-39) and  “Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison and did not help you?” (Matthew 25:44)
• The Persistent Widow: “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?” (Luke 18: 7)
• The Shrewd Manager: “So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?” (Luke 16: 11-12)

Preparation

Jesus used questions to frame a discussion that would prepare His people for things to come. He would ask a question and then give an answer. Here are some examples:

• “Do you think I came to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you but division.” (Luke 12:51)
• “’When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?’ ‘Nothing,’ they answered. He said to them, ‘But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag…’” (Luke 22:35)
• “Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before.” (John 6:61)
• “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is the devil.” (John 6:70)
• “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.” (John 12:27)

How can we apply this?

As educators we need to ask more questions. Jesus used questions in combination with figurative languages and parables to teach the people. Sometimes he uses the question in the beginning to launch the conversation. At other times he used a question as the climax in a parable.

Key Questions: Why did Jesus ask questions? Why did He speak in parables?

Active Participation

As you can see Jesus asked questions in a variety of ways. But why did he ask questions? Why not just say his point directly. I think it’s because questions are inviting. They require participation. It’s easy to tune out a lecture and think it doesn’t apply to me, but a question makes the conversation personal. A question requires an answer, so the listener has to take ownership of the answer. Whereas a statement puts people on the defensive a question pierces the heart.

Relationship Building

Statements push, but questions pull. They are intimate. If you are on a date with someone who asks you questions, it makes you feel cared about. Contrarily, if you have a date that just spends the whole time lecturing you, it would be a big turn off. The ebb and flow of relationships is based on questions. As we revisit Genesis 3, notice the serpent pulled us toward himself and away from God by asking “Did God really say…” Yet God asks, “Where are you?” God used a question to draw us out of hiding back into his presence.

Seeking God

Before our sin in the garden, we had true intimacy with God. But because of sin, we went into hiding. Jesus came to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10), but in turn He also wants us to seek him back. This requires effort and engagement on our part. That’s one of the reasons He spoke in parables and uses question. They require active participation. We have to decode the meaning and identify our part in the parable. Parables and questions are multi-faceted; they can also speak to people in different ways. For example, in the parable of the prodigal son, some people may identify more with the older son and others more with the prodigal. People may have different answers to the same question, but a question forces people to deal with their heart and seek Jesus.

Questions for You

1. How can you use questions to increase participation in your meetings or classroom?
2. How can you use questions to strengthen your relationship with God and with others?
3. How can you craft a lesson that encourages seeking or inquiry? I don’t know if Jesus made lesson plans or just asked questions on the fly, but since we aren’t God, we may need to plan ahead.
4. Where is the most effective place to place our question? At the beginning, the climax, or the end of our illustration. Jesus used his questions in a variety of places.

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What’s your favorite question that Jesus asked? Leave it in the comments.