Questions

Giving the right answer is important. Most formal educational experiences teach us to value the correct answer. But the “right answer” may be overrated. Sometimes asking the right question is more important! This is the best way to gain information. Effective teachers use the “interrogative mood” to prompt students to think deeper about the topic of study. The questions we ask also reveal what’s on our minds and hearts.

The Bible is full of questions, some asked by God (see Job 38–41), some by key Bible characters, others by the psalmists, the prophets, the apostles, and even the Lord Jesus.

The seasons of Advent and Christmas prompt children to ask all sorts of questions. Why are there lights on so many houses now? Where did we get this Christmas tree ornament? When can we start listening to Christmas music? Is Santa real? Do we have to eat lutefisk at Grandma’s house? Who will wrap the gifts? How much nutmeg goes into the Yule bread? What does a candy cane represent?

Journalists-in-training learn the six basic interrogatives: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Each of these interrogatives appears in Scripture, but the Advent and Christmas texts contain only three questions.

Zechariah’s Question

Zechariah asked the first question in the infancy narratives, responding to the angel Gabriel’s message that Zechariah and Elizabeth would have a baby son. His question was: “How can I be sure of this?” He hastened to add his reason for asking: “I am an old man and my wife is well along in years” (Luke 1:18).

Perhaps Zechariah had waited so long to become a father that he had reached the point where he was convinced it wouldn’t happen. Maybe he felt he was a realist and was preventing himself from getting his hopes up only to be disappointed. His question might also be interpreted as “Are you sure you’ve got the right man?”

Gabriel’s response and Zechariah’s subsequent silence tell us that his question was born of doubt. God, through Gabriel, had given His plan and promise; Zechariah’s question put a shadow over the good news. God knows our hearts, what we truly think and believe. Zechariah was focused on himself and missed the potency and joy of God’s message.

When God speaks to us, our response reveals the condition of our heart. Zechariah was a priest who served in the temple, who encountered an angel of God, yet he struggled to believe what God said.

Where do you struggle to believe God’s word to you? Are you skeptical of God’s promises? Do you feel God owes you an explanation or has to provide proof before you’ll obey?

Still, God kept His word to Zechariah. Elizabeth became pregnant, and somehow Zechariah communicated the story of his angelic encounter to Elizabeth. They agreed on the name John, even though it wasn’t in the family. Zechariah had nine months to silently ponder God’s message, the state of his heart, and what would happen in the days ahead. When his son, John, was born, Zechariah sang a sweet song of salvation, full of Scripture and praise and faith in God.

Mary’s Question

Mary raises the second question in the infancy narratives. She, too, is responding to a message from the angel Gabriel, who has informed her that she will be the human mother of Jesus, Messiah, God’s Son. Her question, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34), reveals her moral and sexual purity. She knew how children were conceived and she knew she was a virgin.

Mary’s question is born of faith in God. She knew that Adam and Eve had been created apart from sexual union. She believed God could bypass the normal manner of conception if He chose to. She was not questioning God’s sovereignty over her life and body, nor was she demanding an explanation. She was curious about the “how” (and maybe wondering why God was bypassing marriage). God’s method of producing this pregnancy was the overshadowing work of the Holy Spirit (v. 35). Probably this answer didn’t fully answer her question, but the result was that the Christ Child was conceived in Mary’s womb and she carried Him until His birth.

Gabriel did provide insight into why God chose virginal conception as the means of the incarnation. He said, “the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” In His overshadowing ministry, the Holy Spirit prevented Jesus from receiving a sin nature. The result was a God-Man, untainted by sin, who would live a perfect life and be qualified to be the substitutionary sacrifice for the sin of all people.

It is not wrong to ask questions of God, provided the question is asked with the right motive and attitude. God is not obligated to give an answer. In Mary’s case, she did receive answers, but they made clear sense only later. What questions do you have as God is shaping your life? Go ahead and ask but don’t demand. Look to Scripture for answers. Expect that God’s answers may be only sufficient to lead you to the next step. God rarely tells us what He’s doing ahead of time.

The Wise Men’s Question

The wise men made the final inquiry in the infancy narratives. Having followed the Messiah’s star as far as Jerusalem, and expecting that everyone there would be aware of the new king’s birth, they asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” (Matt. 2:2). Probably the Magi asked the citizens and shopkeepers, as they entered the city, and the priests and Levites outside the temple. Eventually the question reached Herod, who was surprised because he assumed that he was the king of the Jews! Here are visitors in town who know more about what’s going on than the locals do! Herod was disturbed by this question, and the people of Jerusalem were disturbed because Herod was disturbed.

The theological experts reported that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:6). The Magi found the Christ Child there and worshiped Him. They returned home without reporting to Herod, because God so directed them through a dream (v. 12).

We should not be surprised when leaders and rulers are threatened by the claim of Jesus to be King. Throughout history many governments have tried to suppress Christianity because they want the citizens’ highest loyalty to be to the state. This explains much of the persecution that Christians endure around the globe today. The question, at least in a political discussion, is not so much “Where is the king?” as it is “WHO is the king?” Herod tried to ensure he was the only king by having all the infant boys in Bethlehem killed (vv. 16–18). Herod was an Edomite and knew he could not rightly claim the throne of David. The newborn King, however, was of David’s line.

Where is King Jesus? Not in the capital city. Not in the temple. He is not with the rich and powerful. He is with the poor and ordinary and obscure. Where is King Jesus? He should be reigning in His Church. Where is King Jesus? He should be on the throne of our hearts and at the center of our homes and marriages.

Sometimes a simple question can generate conflict. A child asks, “Why don’t we go to church?” and parents feel guilty. A spouse asks, “When can we pray together?” and the partner is embarrassed. A pastor asks the congregation, “Where are you putting your financial resources?” and church members get defensive. A parent asks her teenager, “How will going to that movie reflect on your relationship with Jesus?” An accountant asks a business owner, “Do you realize the consequences of failing to report that income?” A Christian friend asks, “Are you ready to trust Jesus as your Savior?”

What questions are you asking? What questions are being asked of you?

 See: Herod the Great, King, Mary, Overshadow, Virgin Birth, Wise Men, Zechariah