WHEN TROUBLED, WE often turn to the Bible for answers. Yet Scripture itself is full of questions— God’s questions. In few but weighty words, these questions provoke thought, prayer, conversation and study. As Pope Benedict XVI wrote in Verbum Domini, Scripture is God’s invitation to encounter, dialogue and to have relationship with Him. While we rightly look to Scripture for answers, it is often the questions of God that best inform us. Even as a child, Jesus sat among the teachers in the Temple asking questions. In the Gospels, He asks over 300 questions, but directly answers only three of the 183 He is asked. Frequently, He responds with His own questions —highlighting truth, revealing motives and stimulating reflection. Jesus is clearly interested in our faith development that forges our answers. He wants us to own our “yes” to Him.
Jesus never asks a question that didn’t need asking. Contrast that with how we sometimes offer answers to questions no one is asking. His questions bestow intrinsic value upon others, start dialogue and lead people to a greater understanding of God, others and themselves. Consider a few of the many revealing “God” questions found in Scripture: “Where are you?” (Gen. 3:9) After the Fall, God searches for Adam and Eve—and all of us—offering us a way back to the Garden. But like Adam, we hide, resist, hold back. Think of Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam, where Adam’s limp arm fails to touch God’s fully outstretched hand. Are we reaching for God? “Where were you when I founded the earth?” (Job 38:4) Job demands answers from God, as we often do when life feels unfair. God’s reply doesn’t directly explain suffering but reminds us of his absolute but benevolent sovereignty and our limited knowledge and narrow perspective. God’s humbling question to Job recalls Saint Catherine of Siena’s mystical experience when God told her in four succinct words: “I’m God; you’re not.” “Why are you terrified? Are your hearts hardened?” (Mk. 4:40; 8:17)
After calming the storm, Jesus questions His disciples’ fear. Despite all they’d witnessed, they still lacked faith. Does fear rule our hearts? Have we accepted the Resurrection? “If you can!?” (Mk. 9:23) A desperate father begs Jesus to heal his son—if He can. Jesus echoes back the man’s doubt, challenging his faith. When we pray, do we truly believe God will do what is best for us? “Do you want to be well?” (Jn. 5:6) Jesus asks this of a man crippled for 38 years, lying beside a healing pool. Do we even turn to God when we suffer, or do we languish near the edge of the healing, living water of Jesus without getting wet? “Do you love me?” (Jn. 21:17) When Peter responds with his “yes,” Jesus challenges his answer by defining loving Jesus as loving our neighbor in action – “feed my sheep.” How do we love those living by the side of the road in our world? “Who do you say I am?” (Mt. 16:15) Peter responds with his Holy Spirit-inspired confession that Jesus is the Son of God. But what do we say when Jesus asks us: Why are you following me? Do we seek answers without understanding the questions? Scripture, prayer, Reconciliation and the Eucharist help us discover not only answers, but better questions — those that lead us to faith, trust, hope and love.
As Jesus asked Martha about Resurrection: “Do you believe this?” (Jn. 11:26) If we’re seeking answers—as we all are—a good place to begin may be yet another question posed by Jesus:
“What do you think?” (Mt. 18:12)