February 2, 2024

Some people ask the right questions, but for the wrong reasons. Sometimes they ask questions because they believe someone else doesn’t know the answers, but they think they do. That way they’ll have a chance to show how smart they are. Sometimes people ask questions as a way of trying to justify themselves. More on that approach later. Still other people ask questions for the sole purpose of starting an argument. They’re not looking for truth. They’re looking for a chance to create a ruckus or put someone down. My guess is you’ve met a few people like this. Jesus had to deal with more than a handful of these.
Religious leaders were always asking Jesus questions as a way of trying to discredit Him. They wanted to show He was a fake. They wanted to show He wasn’t really a Rabbi or a Prophet. They were jealous of the attention He got and the crowds He drew, so they would try to trap Him into saying something that could be construed as heresy or false teaching, and then they’d have a reason to exile Him, punish Him, or execute Him. Which is eventually what they did. That was the motive behind the “religious expert” in our passage today. His question was a GREAT question. But He really wasn’t trying to get an answer. He was trying to set a trap. Too bad. He really could have used the answer!
When I read the verse today and thought about what the man was doing, this question hit me. “How often do I go to God with questions but not the right motives?” As I thought about it, the answer was, “More than I realize.” I thought about how many times I’ve asked God why He was allowing something to happen. But truthfully, I didn’t care why He was allowing it to happen. It was just my way of complaining about it. I thought about how many times I’ve asked the Lord what to do. But truthfully, in many of those situations, I’ve already decided what I’m going to do. I’m simply telling God He’s going to have to do something drastic to change my decision. The list could go on and on.
Let this be our challenge for today. Not to just ask God the right questions, but to make sure we’re asking Him with a surrendered heart and the right motives. Motives that come from a heart that is sincerely seeking truth. Motives from a soul that truly wants to be in line with God’s will. Those motives won’t change God’s answers. But they will allow God’s answers to change US! That’s God’s Word for you today.