Questions
Matthew 20:20-34
* Being around a child that is almost 4 means hearing a myriad of questions every day. These little guys have very inquisitive minds and know, it seems, instinctively that the way to find out things is to ask questions. This is learned early and used throughout a lifetime.
* Consider all the places where questions are used as a tool; schools, the legal system, employment tests, and even surveys (just to name a few). Questions are an invaluable resource to learning.
* Today we have read about 2 encounters of Jesus. One with a mom and her boys and the other with 2 blind men. To understand Jesus’ mindset we may remind ourselves that in verse 17 He had set His face toward Jerusalem where He knew that He would die. He had eternity on his mind and heart when faced with these two encounters. Instead of simply jumping to conclusions, we find Jesus asking 3 penetrating questions. While at first blush two of these questions appear to be the same, a closer look reveals they have much different meanings and purposes. Let’s look at these three questions.
1. The Revealing Question – Inverse 21 the mother of James and John comes to Jesus with her boys in tow. Personally, I have studied all around this scene and have concluded that she approached Jesus with renewed respect (which is why she felt the need to kneel) and obviously her countenance toward Jesus was different than other times because He picked up on the fact that she wanted something. Hear Jesus, “What do you want?” How often have I asked my children that question?! It is clear that Jesus knew this was a big deal to her because although we cannot see it, she is probably more nervous than other times, plus He can see it in her face. There is always something noticeably different about someone who is going to ask for something highly personal and decidedly selfish. In my mind, Jesus’ hangs in the air as she realized that Jesus had a good idea of what she was going to ask. Probably taking a deep breath, she responded with the answer that we all know she had rehearsed many times. Her words “Promise that my boys may sit on your right and left n your kingdom” spoke of the many things which she did not understand.
* It reveals our motivation. Do you know what your motivation actually is? It is what we hold in our heart. As you think in your heart, so you are. For this mom, she thought her boys were better than the others. For us, our pride makes us believe that we deserve more or that we are due more. What is it that you want? To answer this question is to reveal your motivation for all you do.
Questions – Pg 2
* It reveals misunderstanding. She still didn’t understand who Jesus was and why He came. She certainly didn’t understand His Kingdom because she was still thinking that He was overthrown Roman rule and set up His Kingdom. It was a revealing question for Jesus and it still reveals much about us. Do we understand what His purpose & priority really is? Do we understand what He is doing? By the way, she certainly had no clue. Can you imagine her surprise when Jesus said, “You have no idea what you are asking and that I don’t make this decision.” Do we understand who Jesus is, what is important to Him, and how He does it?
* It reveals maturity. – As a child what they want and it will be candy, toys, or the latest video game. You can count on this: it will be something for THEM!! All a child can see is what “I” want. This is not because kids are bad, horrible, or mean, it is because they are immature in their thought processes. Very little reveals one’s maturity level like the ‘what do you want’ question. This mom wanted her boys to be on the throne. We could say that her immaturity revealed her mistrust and even her manipulation. She felt that she had to help her boys because she couldn’t trust them to achieve on their own so she had to personally manipulate the Lord.
* Consider this question. “What is it that you want?” Answer it in your own heart. It will reveal much about who you are, about whose you are, and even about what you are. The revealing question.
2. The Reaching Question – We find the “Reaching” question in verse 32 and admittedly at first glance, it may appear that Jesus asked these blind men the same question, but it not really the same. To the mom He’d asked, “What do you want?” while to the blind men He asked, “What do you want ME to DO for YOU?” Consider the blind men. They didn’t come on bowed knee but rather came with a needy heart. They were, in all likelihood, pitiful. They had spent their lives on the bottom of the food chain begging for food and money. Now they heard that Jesus, the Son of David, was coming within earshot. So they were going to make the best effort they could, so they began to cry out. In our two stories we see 2 pairs of men, one pair thought they ‘deserved’ while these boys were ‘desperate.’ No one knows exactly what they were thinking that Jesus might do for them. Perhaps He would give them a few coins or maybe some notoriety or maybe He could call on His God to heal them. Whatever they may have thought, it was worth the risk so they began to “cry out” to Jesus. When you’re desperate, no one can stop you from calling on Jesus because you know He is the only hope.
Questions – Pg 3
* Jesus’ response to a desperate cry is always the same, “What do you want me to do for you?” To the credit of the blind men they didn’t ask for the trivial and the trite, they asked for the big tamale. At the point of their request they thought eyesight was their greatest need so they asked to have opened eyes. Not only did Jesus open their physical eyes, but also their spiritual eyes. We know this because “They followed Him.”
* The question Jesus reaches to us with is this same question. “What is it that you want me to do for you?” In His question Jesus implied that “I am reaching to you and I want to give you whatever it is that you need.” So your question is, “What do I need?” or better said, “What is my blindness?” Three answers that, I believe, Christ will hear from us.
a) Lord, Make Me SEE – I do not know the emotions of being physically blind, but having had eye surgery I can imagine some of the feelings. Jesus opened the eyes of the physically blind on many occasions, but I submit that the reason He gave sight in this way was that the people might be healed from their spiritual blindness. Could it be that we have been looking at the things of this world so long that the things of God are growing ‘strangely dim.’ Lord, make me to see the need to make you Lord of my life, the plight of the lost and dying, the destination for those who do not know you, and even what you want me to do about it.
b) Lord, Make Me BE – On Wednesday night, Calvin Kelly preached about our Identity in Christ. The second thought in his message was our Identity Crisis! In the reaching question we find the possibility of asking Jesus to make us everything ‘He’ wants us to be.
c) Lord, Make Me FREE – Quite likely, these blind men had been blind since birth, they were in a prison of darkness and their response was ‘make me free.’ Today, many people live in a proverbial ‘prison’ because they are tied up by one thing are another. If we are spiritually blind or just distracted from the things of God, we can find ourselves in a prison of sin. Once there, “He holds the Keys.”
* Jesus asks us this question today, “What do you want me to do for you?” What is your answer? What is your greatest need?
3. The Reality Question – Jesus has asked, “What do you want?” and “What do you want me to do for you?” These are too very powerful questions, but there is a third question found in this text. It is the payoff question. In verse 22, after mom had made her appeal, Jesus turned to the boys and asked a sobering question, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” Without thinking, James and John responded, “We are.” In this exchange lie some truths which we must get our minds around.
Questions – Pg 4
a) Be Clear – James, John, and their mom thought they had it all figured out. They thought Jesus would overthrow the Roman government, set up His Kingdom in Israel, and then the boys would have second positions in the Kingdom (with all the accompanying power, prestige, & position). In the words of Jesus, they didn’t know what they were asking because they were unclear (blinded) about His Kingdom. Today, we ask the Lord for something without being clear what we are asking. Being the Lord who makes the truth clear, Jesus continued to that reality question.
b) Be Certain – He called them to “be certain.” Have you counted the cost? Are you able to pay the price? Are you willing to give your all? This is not popular to say, but in America, we know nothing of the cost equated with true discipleship. We come and go at will with (up to this point) no harassment. However, this is changing in America. We see it on every hand. The courts, governments, school, the attitude of society, and even from those who have migrated to this country are on-board with the anti-God, anti-Jesus and anti-believer movement. May I suggest you to be certain that you can stand the test and the heat? This is reality. By the way, in the life of James and John, they didn’t realize the prophecy of their words. James would be beheaded less than 15 years later because of his faith in Christ and John would be banished to the island of Patmos. Before you answer the reality question, get real.
c) Be Committed – Are you able to pay the price? Are you so committed to the Lord that you would give your life for Him? The Blind men followed Jesus when they were made whole and I submit that when we allow the Lord to make us whole, we will be committed to Him, we will be certain about what He asks and we will be clear about the future. We don’t what the future holds, but we know who holds the future
It’s an old song which says, “I don’t know about tomorrow, I just live from day to day. I don’t borrow from its sunshine for its skies may turn to gray. I don’t worry over the future for I know what Jesus said, and today, I’ll walk beside Him, for HE KNOWS what is ahead.
We are have questions in our lives; questions about today, our families, our problems, our church, our country, and even ourselves, but there is no question which is more important than the questions Jesus asks.
