A Thought For The Week Of May 30, 2016

"And no one dared to ask him any more questions." (Luke 20:40) I spent this past weekend at the Annual Meeting of the United Church's Bay of Quinte Conference. It was sometimes interesting and probably more often not that interesting - a typical church meeting in other words. But one thing I enjoyed were the theological reflections that were offered. In one, it was pointed out that over the course of his recorded ministry in the Gospels, Jesus asked far more questions than he answered. I've never done a study of the subject, but once it was mentioned I thought about it - and it sounded right. Which made me start to wonder: is the church really supposed to be in the answer business? Many Christians seem to think so. We seem to feel that the church has to have hard and fast answers to everything, as if not having an answer would be a sign of weakness or lack of faith. And, often, if someone comes to a conclusion that's different than the answer we've prescribed to a question - well, woe to that person! We seem to think of the church as the final arbiter of all faith questions and the final authority on all spiritual matters, and our settled doctrine becomes the ultimate answer. But if Jesus asked more questions than he answered? What does that tell us? In the verse above, the Pharisees stopped asking Jesus questions because they couldn't trap him; his wisdom was too much for them to counter. But in the overall course of his ministry, Jesus displayed that wisdom not with answers but primarily with questions. Often the questions were leading questions. They gave direction to the person being questioned, but even leading questions leave the person being asked with the freedom to choose their response. Sometimes it's the questions we're asked rather than the answers we get that lead to the greatest learnings about life and faith. I wonder if, as a church, we should learn from Jesus' example? (Well, actually, I don't wonder!) Rather than dictating to people what they must and must not believe, I wonder if we need to offer more gentle guidance? Should we trust that the Holy Spirit can touch the hearts and minds of those we engage with, leading them ultimately to an encounter with a gentle and guiding Christ who can change their lives, rather than an angry and inflexible Christ who simply instils fear? Those aren't answers - they're questions for you to ponder. Very much in keeping with the example of Jesus!