Introduction
The questions in red letters became a curiosity to me because of their depth and scope, but more so, because of who asked them. Albeit some of the questions asked by Jesus Christ were rhetorical, that is, asked for effect, or asked more to provoke thought than to solicit an answer, some questions Christ posed were asked merely because He wanted an answer.
For some, it makes them uneasy to think that Jesus did not know the answer in advance. We have been taught that “Jesus knew everything” as if He were some sort of mind reader or telepathic. The Scriptures do not support this idea; it is therefore only conjecture. Poor conjecture, in my opinion. When the Scriptures state, “…Jesus knew their thoughts…” (Luke 6:8 – Matthew 12:25) they simply speak of perception.
Jesus was infinitely wise and extraordinarily perceptive and He knew mankind better than they knew themselves. As John states so perfectly, “But Jesus … knew all men… for he knew what was in man.” (John 2:24-25)
It is Christ’s keen perception and His unique wisdom that shines from His questions. Sometimes, with His questions, He exposed hypocrites to the world. Once, He asked the sanctimonious Pharisees, “The Baptism of John, was it commissioned from heaven or of men?” knowing they could not answer and remain veiled to the people. Sometimes His questions quietly and discretely exposed the inner thoughts and motives of His own disciples so that their intentions would become apparent to themselves, as when He queried them about their motivation for attending John the Baptist’s meetings in the wilderness, “What went ye out to see?” But, sometimes He asked a question simply because He did not know the answer and wanted one, as when He asked Mary about the burial place of her brother, Lazarus, “Where have ye laid him?”
Whatever the reason Jesus asks His questions, in all our conversational encounters with the Savior, it will be His wisdom that beams, His glory that shines, and His Heart of love and compassion that is laid before us. Your answers to His questions will sometimes make you uncomfortable and lay your heart open to Him in return, but to whom, save Christ, could you trust your candid answers and confessions, and before whom could you lay your condition in forthright display in full assurance of acceptance? Who is able to open your life for examination in pure love and unfeigned truth as Jesus can?
What a Preacher He was, what a Teacher, and what a Friend we have in Him.
As you hear His questions and consider your own answers, you are thrust into His time and He into yours. By quiet contemplation, words on a page become a live conversation. In meditation, ink and paper can become living words in your ears, and it is then that the words of God become The Word of God. It is then that you will experience more than the mere reading of history; you will become part of a verbal exchange, a part of the repartee, banter, and even argument with our Lord Jesus Christ! If you will only answer His questions honestly and with sincerity, you may well peer into depths of your own soul and purpose, heretofore undiscovered and unknown.
Ours is a quest to learn of our Messiah and His Father, YHVH. Jesus asked questions of the people in the Bible’s stories to fulfill the will of God, and that was (as it remains with us) to bring the chosen ones closer to His Father. With this devotional, you can experience a daily exchange of thought with the Christ of the Bible, leading you closer to Him, revealing His ways, His thoughts and eventually, if He wills it so, His Father. As He said in Matthew 11:27-28, “All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.”
There will be no quotes from Greek poetry here, but you will find an abundance of Scripture. May I assume you have a familiarity with the Gospel accounts of the life of Christ?
The questions, in some cases, are composites from all Gospel accounts containing the same question. For clarity, all Scriptures where the question appears are noted. If you doubt your level of familiarity and want to re-read the Gospels, this devotional will make a good companion for such an endeavor. The text references are in chronological order (as much as is possible) so you can follow the events in the life of Jesus if you want to. However, there is no necessity to follow my order if you are not inclined to do so. My advice is to read this book in the same manner it was written to help you appreciate (and hopefully, experience) the power in which it was received.
Over a period of four years of morning devotional time and meditation, life experience and revelation was this book created and edited into the form you have in your hand. Time cannot be a factor in revelation of truth, dispensation of grace, or receiving of solace from our God.
Take one question at a time. Read it and contemplate it quietly for a while; allow time for the Lord to speak to you. Resist the temptation to push through to the next question. Each question takes only approximately ten minutes to read, take again as long to sit quietly and then perhaps add notes of your own impressions. Trying to read several questions one after the other or an attempt to quickly finish the book will not prove to be satisfactory. You may be prompted to worship or pray afterward, so time allotted for this will be very valuable. Sometimes the message of one question will be on your mind all day. These are times when Truth is to be revealed many hours after devotional time has ended. Take your time.
The context and background of each story will prove to be a rich source as well. Have your Bible handy to establish context and read the references and footnotes given. In my personal devotions, I would read the verses before and after the referenced Scripture to understand the timeframe of Christ’s life and to get a feel for the mood of the hearers before I would meditate on each question.
What a wondrous journey writing this was for me. Each devotional was written during and after my early morning hours of meditation as the Lord opened them to me, one question at a time. It was always a joy to discover a new question and explore it. When the end of the Gospels was drawing near I felt a sadness, as if I was losing a magnificent opportunity to visit with the Savior each morning.
I am happy to share these devotionals with you. I would love to know that you received them in the same richness of Spirit that I did.
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NOTES:
Your host has the highest respect for the Bible as a document miraculously given from God to contemporary man. It is not, however, prudent to elevate it to the status, rank, or position belonging to our living Savior as our Teacher and Guide. His promise was to send a Comforter who will lead and guide us to all Truth. That Guide is none other than His own Spirit, the Spirit of God.
The Bible is a true and accurate record of men experiencing that selfsame guidance. However, the record of this guidance in the lives of others is merely that – a record. A glorious and markedly valuable record indeed, but this record should never replace the personal experience of sitting at the Master’s feet. Jesus Christ is alive again from the dead and fully capable of opening the Scriptures to His followers.
We know that God spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets. Has He in these last days spoken unto us by ink and pen? No! He has spoken unto us by his Son. So says Hebrews 1:1-2.
It is our Father’s intention to teach us directly through a living relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. In times past, He used men as prophets; it is mistakenly assumed that today He uses only a book. The verse in Hebrews, cited above, makes no such assertion nor does it defend such an idea. From this Scripture it is clear that Jehovah speaks to us by His Son.
Discussions on the infallibility of Scripture, contradictions found therein, dubious inspiration of modern Bibles, etc., I will leave to some other forum. These views are usually traditional, typically personal, frequently inflammatory, and have proven to be useless deliberations that put man no closer to his goal of reconciliation to God. Regrettably, it is also observable that those who enjoy engagement in these disputes are usually the worst violators of their own Bible’s clearest doctrines.
The Bible is an inestimable gift of God to lost and lawless mankind. Without it, in our modern sinful and separated condition, living so far from our ancestral family in God, I fear it would be nearly impossible (especially in our short lifetimes) to gain such instruction from our Father directly. Even so, to merely learn it or read it is not the same as hearing it.
Remember, Jesus’ words were not, he who has eyes let him read, but he who has ears, let him hear. To mistake one for the other, results in deficiency and confusion, harm and loss. For this singular reason, churches, supposedly built upon unambiguous teachings of an infallible Bible are diverse, contradictory, and dissimilar rivals. Hear the voice of the living Savior. He will guide you.
Luke 24:32, “And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?”
