Thursday, July 8, 2010

Don’t be afraid of questions; just make sure you are always ready to give a good answer.

Matthew 22:15 – 45

The generation of Busters and Mosaics those born between 1965 and 2002 are a questioning people. They generally look at everything skeptically and unlike the Baby boomers those born between 1945 and 1965 they most likely will not grow out of their skepticism. They are media savvy and believe that everyone is working an angle of some kind. They will have questions and lots of them. The answers we give them must be real, have a strong foundation in truth, and most of all, must be fueled by our honest and passionate hearts for the Lord.


Jesus ran into some of the most skeptical people anyone could be and yet He dealt with their questions honestly and with passion. The people coming to Jesus in this passage all had an angle they were trying to trip Him up. They wanted to make Jesus look the part of the fool or the usurper. A few things that we need to take note of:

1) Jesus knew that this was their plot but He still answered their questions. Our love for God and people should always win out every time we are talking with people despite their motives, ours should be pure.
2) Jesus was keenly aware that others were listening to his conversation. Our responses to people are rarely limited to just the people with whom we are conversing. Quite often those conversations impact attitudes both ours and the other person and they can get repeated to others.
3) Jesus continual wisdom in answering the questions opens the door for the final honest questions to be asked. We need to look beyond the obvious and try to see the heart. Many times people are skeptical because they want to believe but don’t want to be hurt again. Proverbs 15:1 says, “a soft answer turns away wrath.” We always have an opportunity to diffuse an angry heart if we allow the Lord to give us wisdom before we speak.

As things grow crazier in our world, people will have more questions. Be prepared to have patience, study the “word”, spend time in prayer, and place yourself under solid teaching so that you can answer the tough questions with wisdom, passion, and truth. Don’t be afraid of tough questions you may find yourself changing someone’s world.

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