Answering Questions with Questions

Intro

Hello, my name is Clint and I am excited to share with you today. We are continuing a series of messages that take a look at home Jesus often asked questions. Last week Brian looked at how Jesus used questions to poke and prod at our pride, to produce real transformation in us.

And this is an important thing to remember. When Jesus asks a question, its always for a good reason. There is always an intention behind the question, he’s always trying to move us closer to him. He pokes and prods to try and get at the heart of what we really want.

This part of Jesus frustrates me. I want Jesus to just tell me what to do. My family is a strong military family. Legend has it that the first Considine came across the pond from Ireland, wrote home and told his family that the United States was Great. He already had a job and the whole family should come. And then he was killed in the Civil War. And you know what, they came!! Following orders is in my Blood!

Thats why I loved my time in the service. You just follow orders. I want Jesus to just tell me what to do. Great personal tie-in…

But, Jesus has a different method. Jesus doesn’t want mindless robots, he desires disciples, people who learn how to reflect his image, his character qualities, his goodness into the world. He wants to teach us how to be about the things of God.

If you want a task done, give an order. If you want to teach somebody how to think, ask them a question. that is good!!! I might recommend repeating that phrase for emphasis.

And that’s what we see Jesus do.

Today, we are going to be looking at a couple of instances of were Jesus answered a question, with a question, specifically around the topic of authority. And it may seem on the surface, that Jesus is dodging the question, but we are going to see how Jesus sidesteps the question to bring us to a deeper level, to show us a different way to think, and to draw us closer to him. Rephrase to emphasize active voice of what Jesus does. Something like… “On the surface, it may seem like Jesus is dodging their question. But, here’s what’s really going on. When Jesus answers our questions with another question, Jesus is challenging us to think more deeply and drawing us closer to him.”

So today, we are going to start in Luke 20:1-8, you can open that verse up, but first let me set the scene for you:

Main Point #1 Questions About Authority

Sub Point #1 Jesus’s Authority Questioned

Set the Scene

Jesus came to Jerusalem shortly before the passover and the people started freaking out. They were singing songs of praise to him in the street and saying things like “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord”

Jesus went up to the temple and shook things up. Remember, the temple is the center of Jewish life at this point, and he walks in and drives out people who were doing business there.

And as you can imagine, this upset those in power.

Who is this backwoods, un-credentialed, bastard son of a carpenter to come in here like he owns the place.

The religious leaders weren’t happy, and then we read this verse.

Looks look at Luke 20:1-8 (Just Page Number)

“One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?” He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin?” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.” Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.””

Exegesis

We have Jesus proclaiming the good news in the temple. In Mark 1:15 it says that Jesus Good News message was this:

Mark 1:15 (No need to put this one up!!)

“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Make sure this doesn’t sound like introducing another scripture… maybe reference more in passing? the next paragraph is solid…

The time is now, God’s Kingdom is so close you can touch it. This was the good news than and still is the Good News now. God is with his people, he is near, you can reach out and touch him. This is what Jesus is teaching

And Then we see this confrontation happen. Jesus is approached by the Chief Priests, the Teachers of the Law, and the Elders

Three groups of people, and each one of them had power and authority.

The Chief Priests, they traced their authority all the way back to Aaron and Levi. They took care of and ministered in the temple.

The Teachers of the Law, they had authority. They had studied the scripture forwards and backwards. They were the experts in God’s word and Law.

And the Elders, they had age, and wisdom. They were leaders in social and economic affairs, they had authority.

And they come to Jesus and ask by what authority are is he doing these things.

Can you picture it. Picture yourself as a normal person going to temple. You see Jesus there preaching, and then a crowd of some of the most important people in the City come up and say “Hey, who gave you permission to be here? Who said you could stand here and preach. It wasn’t any of us, so who was it?

Apply

Have you ever had something like this happen to you? Have you ever had someone come up to you and get in your face about something.

Years ago, I parked too close to my neighbors driveway....apparently. She knocked on my door and started chewing me out.

How dare you park there! Who do you think you are!! What gives you the right to do that?

You ever have something like that happen to you? How do you feel inside?

Switching gears just a little, has Jesus ever asked you to do something, and this was your response.

Maybe you read something in the bible about loving your neighbors, and you thought “Okay Jesus, maybe some of my neighbors, but not that lady that yells if you park too close to her driveway. She can be a real beast, I’ll love the rest but not her, you can’t make me love her.

Or maybe Jesus has pointed out something unhealthy about your life, a habit, a relationship a pattern, and has asked you to give it up. Let’s say when you get stressed, you over eat. And you feel that anxiety rise up and you just want to grab something sweet, because it always calms you down. And you feel that little Holy Spirit nudge saying, “hey, instead of eating that delicious, warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie, instead of reaching for that, why don’t you reach for me, why don’t you pray.

And in that moment, you think, but I’ve earned this, I need this. This will make me feel good. What gives you the right to ask me to give this up. I have already given up so much for you, and sacrificed, and suffered, and bled for you, I’ve done difficult things, I’ve walked through grief and despair and loss, and now you want to take my cookie to0!!. What gives you the right to ask me to do these things, haven’t I done enough? I wonder if this section I highlighted in blue could be used better later within this first section of the message. I think your driveway story is enough initial personal connection… feels like you need to keep the “unpacking” moving along.

Friends, the religious elites in this chapter, I think they get a bit of a bum rap. We are all right there with them. In each of our lives, we have things where we deny the authority of God.

What’s that thing for you? I’d save this question…and leave it with the statement above. and then a transition statement

We’ll talk more specifically about that in a few moments… but first, let’s look at how Jesus responds in this situation in Luke 20. Does he call down lighting and smite them, does he summon a choir of angels to proclaim where his authority comes from. Nah, he asks a question.

Subpoint #2 Answering with a Question

He answers

He plays the old Uno reverse card and flips it around. He asks them a question about John the Baptist.

John the Baptist was Jesus older cousin. He had started his public ministry before Jesus and his message was basically that God was coming and people needed to get ready for it by repenting of their sins. As a sign of repentance, he would dunk them in the Jordan river, symbolizing the cleansing of sins.

Tons of people had gone out to get baptized by john. He was very popular with the people, but he had been put to death by Herod. Herod was a Jew who was put into power by the Romans. He was a puppet king.

Jesus asks this question. And you can feel the momentum shift in the conversation.

Ill

At first glance this, to me feels like a boxing match. this illustration might work for some people, but not for others. Especially if they get stuck on the idea… Jesus is sidestepping my question so he can punch me better??? What else could you use? The religious elites come out of there corner swinging, it looks like they have Jesus on the defense, but then he slips, he rolls, he throws a counter that completely catches the Elites off guard. You can feel the eyes of the crowd narrow as they weight for an answer to Jesus question, now the priests, the teachers, and the elders are just trying to stay on their feet.

And sure, there might be a little bit of that, but it seems to me that Jesus is doing something different here. He doesn’t just want to “out them in there place”, rather, he is pointing them towards the truth.

They came out and thought they were going to put Jesus in his place, but really he is showing them the way forward.

Subpoint #3: Where is your Security

Jesus is sidestepping their question to answer the question behind the question.

He is sidestepping and counter punching to shift their thinking, to help them get unstuck.

Remember they think they know the answer, nobody gave you permission to do this.

But Jesus uses this question to pick at their motives, to dig into what is really driving them. Look how they respond:

They say, well if we say it was from God, he will ask us why we didn’t believe him, but if we say it was from humans, they people will kill us they really believe he was a prophet.

They were looking for a way out that will allow them to save face, and stay in power.

Their motivation wasn’t because they cared where Jesus’s authority came from, their motivation was self preservation.

Ill

How many times to we operate from a place of self-preservation?

And we might dress it up, just like the Pharisee’s did here. I like the self-preservation focus.

We might say things like “You know, I wish I could be more involved in the community, I wish I could coach soccer, I wish a could mentor a student that has nobody, I’d love to go on a mission trip, but I’m just so busy , where would I find the time?

Do you find yourself saying that alot? Where would I find the time?

Maybe today, Jesus is trying to sidestep your question, Where would I find the time, with his own. Who controls time? You, are God?

Friends, we all operate out of this self-preservation, I won’t have enough time, I won’t have enough money, I don’t have the skills.......you name it.

Apply But if God is asking you “Will you do this thing for me?” (And I firmly believe when we get those little nudges, those little ideas, that’s the Holy Spirit speaking to us) When he asks you to do something, He will provide everything we need.

And I’m not just talking about about resources, and skills. The joy of doing what God is inviting you into far surpasses anything you or I could come up with.

And yes, we will have to sacrifice for it, we will have to give things up, and create space in our lives to say yes, but can you trust he is worth it.

Can you trust that the listening to the Voice of God is better than listening to the voice of self- preservation.

Transition

So Jesus sidesteps their question, he asks his own question, he invites the Religious elites to consider that maybe God is speaking to the humans and what they are witnessing is divine authority, and they say no thank you.. They choose to listen to those other voices rather than the voice of God.

They choose to not even consider the possibility that John and Jesus might be sent from God, they pivot away towards submission and letting God being in control by trying to trap Jesus in his words.

Look at Mark 12:13-17

Here we see another example of Jesus answering a question with a question and pointing people towards something deeper.

Main Point #2: Questions about Identity

Subpoint #1: Jesus’s Loyalty Questioned

Mark 12:13-17 “Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him.”

This is such a good trap you guys. The Pharisees and the Herodians weren’t really allies. The Pharisees really believed in moral purity, the law, and an Isreal free from the corruption of Caesar and Rome

The Herodians supported the puppet king Herod. They were for compromise with Rome. Any here you have them asking if its right to pay taxes to Caesar.

Do you see the trap here? Listen to this blip from Conrad Gempf in Jesus Asked:

“Rome is an occupying army, a pagan government usurping God’s authority in the land he grace to his people. Is it right to pay tribute and show honor and submission to such a figure as the self-styled “divine” Emperor? Were Jesus to answer, “Yeah, okay, Pay the taxes,” it might well be taken as a denial that Israel as a nation belonged to God and that they should serve I’m alone. If, on the other hand, he were to answer, “No; we owe allegiance to no one but the Lord God,” he will e acting against Rome, virtually preaching noncompliance and rebellion, and would be liable to arrest and punishment. Again, although we readers know that Jesus is preparing to submit himself to arrest at the hands of Judaism and Rome, the characters in the story do not-they assume that such a fate would be the end of him. “

No matter what Jesus says, somebody is going to get him, either the Pharisee’s or the Herodians. And this is where Jesus sidesteps again.

Subpoint #2: Where is your identity?

He asks for a coin. On the coin would have been a picture(Would be cool to have an image of an old Roman Coin) of, most likely, the current Emperor, and some sort of signature , something like “Tiberias Caesar, son of the divine Augustus” claiming Caesar’s divine right to rule.

And then he asks his question, and they way its worded he is really saying something like “Whose image is this, and whose signature, oh, so its his, when then give him back what’s his.”

Now, this isn’t just a clever way to get out of being torn apart buy these two politically opposite groups.

Jesus is pointing us towards something greater.

Whose image are you created in, God’s or Caesar’s.

Do we desire the things of God, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control....or de we desire the things of Caesar, Power, Privilege, Wealth, control.....

Jesus sides steps there question to ask them “What do you want to look like”

This is very much tied to that first question about authority.

In both instances, Jesus is inviting people then, and you and I today, into transformation.

Are we willing to let Jesus challenge us and point out where in our lives we are letting voices other than God’s have authority in our lives.

Where in your life have you given Caesar Power.

Politics, the talking heads on the TV, the voices on the radio, how are you letting them influence you more than the one whose image you are created in.

A couple of election cycles ago, I gave a lot of power to those voices, I gave them way too much authority in my life. I was listening to podcasts almost everyday that told me why this political party was the only thing that could save our country. Then I would get into my Jeep and put on the radio and listen to somebody else walk me through step by step how the other-side, if elected would bring about the end of life was we know it.

And I found that the more and more I listened to it, the more I looked like Caesar and the less I looked like the Carpenter from Nazareth.

I was angry, I was on edge, I was defensive, and more importantly, I thought that it was all justified because I was right.

Now friends, I am not saying that we can’t be aware. I am not saying that we can’t engage civically. What I am saying is we need to remember whose image we are made in. We need to keep sight of the fact that our primary citizenship is in the Kingdom of God. And our hope for the future is not in any institute crafted by human hands.

I hope is in a person who hung on a cross for us, a God that sacrificed himself so that you and I could be free of Caesar, free of all the voices that try to take authority in our lives.

We need to learn how to let the Lord challenge those voices. We need to create space in our lives where God can call out those things that aren’t from him, and we can receive is power to submit and surrender to him and be transformed into the people he has created us to be.

That’s happened to me. I felt the nudge from the Lord that I was consuming too much of that political media, and it was changing me into someone I didn’t want to be.

So let’s take a look at how we can create space in our lives to submit and surrender to God, to give him more and more authority in our lives.

Main point #3: How to be Challenged

We are going to look at a passage that shows how Jesus prayed in one of the darkest moments of his life on Earth. Here we see Jesus about to be arrested. He knows what’s coming, and he is distressed, so he enters into a time of prayer.

By the way, we have a whole class coming up that dives deeper into this. If you want to press in more you should come check out our Learning to Pray like Jesus Class. I’m going to give you the nitty gritty, but the information in that class can change your life.

This verse comes out of Luke 22: 41-43 “He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.”

Sub point #1: Draw Close

Ex

The word for prayer here is used all over in the New Testament. It is a compound word, and part of it means go to a place of prayer or draw close

We see Jesus doing this here. Not only does he physically go somewhere, to a garden, he even leaves the disciples and goes a little ways off by himself, but prayer is really drawing close to God, entering into his presence.

There is this nearness. It’s an intimate thing. Maybe your different but I know I have prayed a-lot of prayers that are just me throwing words at God like I’m making a Christmas list

God please keep my girls safe

Help me to find time to finish my nutrition class homework

and maybe help out people who are sick, amen.

And while those prayers aren’t the worst, the invitation to draw close to God in this intimate way is so much better. And its when take the time to draw close and listen, that God whispers things to us. He affirms us, he challenges us, we feel his love for us in that moment.

I’ve got two little girls at home, and they are always running around being crazy. But every once in awhile......they go to sleep and my house is quite. I lay down in my bed, and my old boy cat Dexter emerges from his hiding place.

He crawls up on the bed and he lays right on my chest. He draws close to me in the quite. And I scratch his years, and I whisper to him so that I don’t wake up the girls “Dex, your such a good boy. You deal with so much chaos around here, I’m so proud of you. I wish you wouldn’t throw up on the rug when your bowl is only half full. But appreciate how you’ve never carried a mouse up into the bed”

That’s what we do in prayer, we draw close, we listen for the voice of God, but look what Jesus does next, he does something that no kitty cat has ever done in the history of the world...... he submits.

Sub point #2: Let Go

Not my will, but yours be done. The Son of God submits to the will of the Father. He is saying, Father, only you have authority in my life. You are in charge, not me, I submit to you.

The second part of that compound word for prayer has to do with this. We draw close, and then we make an offering. We exchange our will for God’s will. We lay what we want and desire on the table and trust that what God has for us is so much better.

What is God inviting you to lay down today?

Some of us know exactly what other voices we have allowed to have authority in our lives.

I’d use the 2nd example (b) first. That will broaden your application and help people not get stuck that you are only challenging their politics. It might be our Politics. We follow the news, we track the Bills that are going through committee, we are predicting what the final vote is going to be...... and we have completely tuned out the voice of God. We are so convinced that we are right, that we haven’t even considered that Jesus might sidestep and come at this thing sideways.

What would it look like to you to lay your politics down, and trust that God works all things to his Glory. What would it look like to seek the Kingdom of God first.

For others of is the thing that we have given authority in our lives, the thing we need to lay down looks different. It might be a relationship or the desire for relationship. And that thought of keeping the other person happy, or finding that person that makes you happy, it the thing that controls you. It eats you up. It’s what you think about when you wake up, and before you go to bed.

What would it look like today, to lay that down on the altar. To offer that to God. To say “Not my will, but yours be done” with no strings attached.

I wonder what God will give you in exchange for your offering.

Sub Point 3: Receive from God

Because when we draw close to God, he gives us what we need. It says that an angel came and strengthened Jesus. And he still worked through the hard stuff.

What’s God wanting to give you today. Where is he challenging you to lay something down, so that he can strengthen you.

Don’t Settle

(Invited into more). Each one of us here today is being invited into more. God wants to challenge us , no to put us down or make us feel small, but to build us up, to strengthen us.

For some of us, God is inviting us into more Faith. You feel that Holy Spirit nudge, but then you begin to doubt, “Well is that from the Lord, or is that from me”.

What if today, God want’s to strengthen you to take those risks. What if, instead of acting out of self preservation, we started acting out if anticipation for what God was going to do.

(Why let anything other than God have authority). Some of us are letting voice control us that aren’t Jesus.

We spend too much time listening to the talking heads telling us what we should or shouldn’t do.

We spend too much time listening to the noise around us say what life should look like, what success should be, what happiness should feel like

and when we do that, we are not being made in God’s image, we are being made into Caesars.

And we get the opportunity, through prayer, to surrender those things.

To say, I don’t want anything but the will of God to control me. That is the only thing that has Authority in my life.

(This is how we change the world.) Friends, if we want to change the Twin Ports. If we want to see God’s rule and reign begin to change things, it starts here. If we want to see the violent crime go down, if we want to see the opioid crisis resolve, if we want to see the division healed, this is where it starts.

Drawing Close to God in prayer. Allowing ourselves to be challenged. Not settling for a superficial, surface level relationship, but letting God challenge us, and heal us, and strengthen us.

All we have to do is draw close, and trust that he will do the rest. Let’s begin to practice this now through ministry time.

Ministry

SALVATION CALL!!!!!