The power is in the question

Asking questions is an ancient and time honored method of education. The only stupid question is the one that is not asked. Jesus is known as a master story teller. His parables/stories are considered the most authentic teaching material we have from him. He ought also to be recognized as a master question asker. In fact many of his stories can be read as questions that demand answers or a discussion.

Definitive answers end discussions. Questions lead to vital discussions and even more questions.

An excellent example of the dynamic is found in the 10th chapter of the Luke gospel. The core of the passage finds Jesus telling the story of the good Samaritan. Among all the stories that Jesus told, this is my favorite. The passage begins with a question. A man, identified only as a lawyer, asked a question. What must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus responded not with an answer but with another question. What do you read in the law?

The lawyer gave a classic answer. You shall love the Lord God with heart, soul, strength and mind. He added and your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus commended the answer.

The lawyer was not yet finished. He asked yet another question. Who is my neighbor? It was a question that had been asked by Israelites for over a thousand years. The conversation between the lawyer and Jesus now had featured three questions, but the crucial question was yet to come.

Jesus told a story. It is probably Jesus’ most famous, and possibly his most influential recorded story. The story features two main characters. One was a faithful Jew. The other was a Samaritan. Samaritans were of mixed blood and were despised by Jews. The Jew had been beaten, robbed and left bleeding alongside the road. The Samaritan crossed the road, tended to the Jew’s immediate physical needs, put him on his donkey, carried him to an inn, and paid the bill for his care.

Jesus asked the critical question. Who proved to be the neighbor? The answer seemed obvious and very uncomfortable for the lawyer. The lawyer left with the challenge of changing the way he believed and lived. He probably left with a whole new set of questions.

I consider what I believe to be very important. I am willing to write or speak specifics about my beliefs. Long ago I abandoned the acceptance of Christian Churches’ creedal statements. Confessions of faith are obviously dated and have limited value other than serving as markers in the history of Christianity. I do not participate in the recitation of creeds and confessions of faith, when they are used as a part of a public worship service.

I find great satisfaction in being a questioning Christian. I have not abandoned believing. I call into question the value of beliefs that are not regularly placed under the hard questioning of an exploring, inquisitive and searching mind.

My seminary experience was one of questioning in the context of believing. My seminary experience was wonderful. I have often said that I argued my way through seminary. I was a Baptist attending a United Methodist seminary. World class scholars taught at my seminary. The student body was aware that faculty members questioned and argued among themselves continually. Students were not excluded from the discussions.

Once out of seminary, I came to a rude awakening. Questioning is not a part of the life of the typical local Christian Church. Christian churches are into believing, not questioning.

Churches that use catechism as an educational model give little time for questioning. The church asks the questions and supplies the answers. Memorization is the prescribed door to “Christian” education.

Can questioning and believing be genuine partners? I am suggesting that is a model that we find in the life of Jesus. He appears to have embraced significant parts of the Israelite religious traditions. He constantly quoted passages from the Old Testament. Yet he was critical of many of the practices of those who controlled the religious institutions. He both believed and questioned.

Plato is credited with the comment “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Some trace the words to Socrates. I doubt if Jesus was aware of either Plato or Socrates. However his life and teachings reflect something of this same attitude. A blind faith that is not examined by questioning is not a part of the tradition of the teacher named Jesus from Nazareth.

I believe that our churches would be much healthier if a significant place were given to questioning. Let’s begin with “What must I do to inherent eternal life?”

The End

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer, Alaska. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.