Questions

Matthew 22:15-22

Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

“Tell us, then, what you think.”  Asked the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?”  They weren’t looking for an answer.  They were trying to pick a fight.  But either way that was one of the 183 questions Jesus was asked in the Gospels.  Out of those 183 questions, how many do you think he answered directly?  Turns out he answered three.  Just three.  How many questions do you guess Jesus asked?  307 it turns out.  307 questions asked.  Three questions answered.  I’m no math guru but I’d say that’s around 100 questions asked for every answer given!

Why is that?  Isn’t Christianity about giving answers and eliminating questions?  It seems like that’s what the loudest voices always say.  But it doesn’t seem to be the way Jesus lived, day in and day out.  So if Christianity is walking as Jesus walked day after day, then could it be that Christianity isn’t so much about giving answers as it is about asking questions… like Jesus did… 100 times more often than he gave an answer?  

I think that perhaps Jesus, being God and all that, might have known a thing or two about how human beings work and THAT might be why Jesus was very intentional about asking WAY more questions than giving answers.  I think Jesus knew that when people give answers, make statements, and declare, “this is how it is!” folks within earshot are only given the choice of  “Buy it and get on board” or “don’t buy it and get left behind.” 

Questions, on the other hand, open folks up to an infinity of other possibilities.  Questions have the power to open and then expand real conversations.  They lead to the possibility of deeper knowing… knowing one another, knowing yourself, knowing more of the various ways people see the world, even opening up new and different ways people might come to know and relate to God.  

Questions open possibilities.  Statements shut them down.  You don’t have to just take Jesus’ word on that either.  Brain research completely backs Jesus up on this.   You’ve heard me say it before, humans are hard wired to consider each and every question we are asked.  We can’t help but do it!  Even if its only for a second, it happens.  The other fact that science has learned about questions is that not only do our brains HAVE to consider them, but our brains can ONLY consider them in the higher, human-only, parts of our brain.  

Check out then what Jesus does in this week’s Gospel using the power of questions.  The Pharisees and Herodians come out to confront Jesus… to poke the bear… to pick a fight.  When humans are poked like that (including the human Jesus) we are hard wired in our brains to respond first out of our fight or flight brains.  But in this week’s lesson, Jesus demonstrates the power of questions.  He uses the fact that questions MUST be considered... and that they MUST be considered in the higher parts of the brain, to quickly move himself into his higher brain where he can calmly decline their invitation to fight.

Watch it again… “Is it lawful to pay taxes?”  The gauntlet goes down.  Jesus goes first to questions… several of them, “Do you have one of these coins you’re talking about?  Who’s this guy here on the coin?  Who’s name is on it?  At this point, these questions have allowed Jesus to fully access his human brain.  There, in his fully human brain, his possibilities for responding beyond just fight or flight are endless.  He has access to wisdom, to cleverness… he even has access to blessed sarcasm!  “Well, even kindergarteners know", Jesus tells them... "If it’s got his name on it, then you should give it to him.” 

What would our lives look like if we asked 100 questions before we gave one answer?  What would just driving through the roundabout be like?  What would social media be like?  What would Congress be like?  What would Israel and Palestine be like?  What would the world be like… if we all used the power of questions to choose to simply not show up for all the fights we are constantly being invited to attend?  What would the world look like, if we asked enough questions, in every human encounter, to move ourselves into a place of endless possibilities before simply picking “hit it or run from it” as our perpetual mindless options to everything?

Jesus asked 100 questions for every answer he gave.  He asked questions… well… religiously.  Which makes me wonder if the asking of questions might actually be a spiritual discipline, like centering prayer, journaling, walking a labyrinth, or meditation?  I wonder what it would look like to practice asking more questions… many more questions… many, many more questions before ever starting to consider giving an answers.  Where might that sort of practice lead?  What might that look like?  How to you think you might begin?  Who might even be willing to give it a try?  Amen.