There Are Dumb Questions

There Are Dumb Questions

9 November 2025

Luke 20:20-40

Rev Alfred W. O'Daire, Jr.

Lebanon United Methodist Church, Jarratt, Va.

Introduction

“This may be a dumb question.”

Or even, “This may be a stupid question, but…”

Been told over and over again.

There are NO stupid questions.

Even with this added, “Only stupid mistakes.”

But I’ve come to realize, there really are stupid questions in life.

As a clinical professor, been asked some really dumb questions.

Posed by some really smart people.

Sometimes it left me scratching my head.

Made me wonder, “Why?”

What prompted that question?

Are they really looking for an answer?

Maybe looking for attention.

Possibly to show they are superior in some way.

Explain some long physiological process.

Spend 20 minutes or more.

Minute details.

Then there’s always that one person.

“So what you’re saying is….”

Go on to explain what they think they heard.

Have you heard ANYTHING I just said????

Sometimes off the wall questions may even be a trap.

An entirely different direction to throw off someone.

Want to show up the teacher.

Or that they are superior to the teacher.

Message

In our Gospel lesson today, we have one of these episodes.

Jesus was questioned throughout His ministry.

Sometimes legitimate questions.

People really wanted to understand better.

Disciples were trying so hard to learn.

Frequently asked about the meaning of a parable.

If meaning wasn’t clear, they didn’t want to miss to point.

Jesus would get exasperated by the disciples sometimes.

Asked questions He thought had obvious answers.

Had questions about the Kingdom of God.

The Son of Man.

Even who He was at one point.

But that’s not what today’s message is about.

Today is one of those special questions.

We have read several Gospel stories where Jesus was being questioned.

He gets questioned by the Roman leadership.

By the temple priests.

By the Pharisees.

And even His own followers.

Today, our reading was about the Sadducees coming to Jesus.

They are part of the Sanhedrin.

Kind of the Supreme Court of the Hebrew people.

They were kind of like the Senate.

If the Pharisees were the House of Rep.

One of the few times this group appears.

They doubt.

They doubt a lot.

They believe in nothing more than the Torah.

The Law of Moses.

The first 5 books of our OT.

So, it precludes them from believing in the prophets.

Don’t appear in the first 5 books.

They deny the existence of angels.

They emphasized man’s free will.

Not the will of God.

Most importantly, they do not believe in resurrection.

To them, once you’re dead, you’re dead.

That’s all there is.

That is the basis for today’s trick question.

Jesus’ message and mission was to rise from the dead.

To die and be resurrected.

The Sadducees couldn’t allow this message.

The Jewish people in the days of Jesus ruled by several groups.

We’ve met the Pharisees.

Basically, the ancestors of today’s Jewish people.

There are the priests in the temple, the Levites.

We have scribes.

The lawyers of the day.

Sadducees have to come up with the ultimate challenge question.

One they are certain will undo Jesus and His cause.

In particular the coming resurrection.

This isn’t the first time Jesus is approached with dumb questions.

Jesus gets in this situation several times.

He is asked several questions that weren’t sincere.

They were questions like I was just talking about.

He is always ready.

He answers indirectly to make people think.

Rarely gives a straightforward answer.

Jesus handles these questions with great wisdom.

He answers boldly.

Never worried about who gets offended.

Jesus had to analyze the questions put to Him.

That way, He could respond with the best answer.

Let’s look at a few special (or stupid) questions put to Jesus.

Then how He handled them.

Questions not really looking for an answer.

Questions meant to trap or embarrass.

First question

In Matt 21, Jesus is in the temple teaching.

Approached by the chief priests and elders.

“By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You that authority?”

I love Jesus’ answer here.

“I’m going to ask you a question. You answer mine and I’ll answer yours.

Baptism of John. Where was it from? Heaven or from men?”

Jesus is going to really make them think about this one.

Put their heads together.

If we say, “of heaven”, He’ll say so why don’t you believe him?

But if we say of men, John’s crowd of followers would attack them.

And he had a huge crowd of followers.

Only one possible answer.

“We don’t know the answer to that.”

“Fine. Now I don’t have to answer your question about my Authority.”

This question wasn’t really a question

It was an objection.

Who ordained you? Who made YOU a rabbi?