What nature was Jesus talking about when he said we must be like children or we can’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven? A teachable spirit, perhaps. What do you think?
After asking his father a half-dozen questions and each time hearing, “I don’t know,” the youngster said, “Are you bothered by my asking so many questions?”
“Of course not,” Dad said, “how else would you learn anything?”
What good are questions without answers?
Jesus often taught in parables, and his disciples didn’t always understand. The Bible reveals only a few times when they asked for an explanation. When they didn’t ask, did they always understand? I don’t think so. Maybe they didn’t want to admit their ignorance. Imagine Jesus asking a question, and not one disciple volunteered an answer. Why would they be reluctant to even guess? To avoid embarrassment, perhaps.
For fear of being wrong, we don’t want to guess.
If you’ve been a student in classes similar to mine, you know the difficulty a teacher often has in getting students to answer questions. Some won’t respond, because they don’t know. Thinking they might be wrong, others remain quiet. Not wanting to appear smarter than everybody else, those who do know won’t raise their hands.
A discussion of ideas becomes possible when people know they can freely express their thoughts without being judged.
Why are answers so important?
Having the right answer might get a good grade on my paper, but the ability to reason, consider possibilities, and arrive at a logical conclusion is much more important.
Most of all, we need to learn how to learn, and questions help us do that.
My young son approached me, looking needy. “Would you help me with my homework?” he said.
I gave him what he asked for but not what he wanted. What’s the difference? He asked for help, but what he wanted were the answers. If I gave him what he wanted, he wouldn’t have to think through the questions and discover the answers.
“Have you read the chapter?” I said.
“Yeah,” he said weakly.
“Go back and read the chapter again. All the problems are to see what you’ve learned from that chapter. If you still can’t answer a question, come see me, and I’ll be glad to help you.”
He never came back, looking for help. Because he learned to read the material, hink through the processes, and find the answers on his own, he became an A student.
To encourage discussion, we need questions without an obvious answer.
When people page through The Discussion Bible for the first time and see all the questions, I wonder about their expression. Are they impressed? Confused? And then they say, “Where are the answers?”
When I hear that question, I can’t help but smile. I understand a little about human nature. We naturally want the answers without the hard work of discovery—if we can get it. I always liked the school texts that had the answers in the back of the book.
God doesn’t mind lots of questions.
Jesus said the Holy Spirit was given to guide us to the truth (John 16:13). Therefore, I think he enjoys our questions. He invites them. Be curious. Go to him with a deep desire to learn from him. Keep asking your questions and listen with an open mind. Occasionally, he’ll supply an answer—the one we most need to hear.
Those who keep asking will receive. Those who keep seeking will find what they are looking for. And the door will be opened to those who keep knocking. — Luke 11:10, The Discussion Bible
After asking his father a half-dozen questions and each time hearing, “I don’t know,” the youngster said, “Are you bothered by my asking so many questions?”
“Of course not,” Dad said, “how else would you learn anything?”
What good are questions without answers?
Jesus often taught in parables, and his disciples didn’t always understand. The Bible reveals only a few times when they asked for an explanation. When they didn’t ask, did they always understand? I don’t think so. Maybe they didn’t want to admit their ignorance. Imagine Jesus asking a question, and not one disciple volunteered an answer. Why would they be reluctant to even guess? To avoid embarrassment, perhaps.
For fear of being wrong, we don’t want to guess.
If you’ve been a student in classes similar to mine, you know the difficulty a teacher often has in getting students to answer questions. Some won’t respond, because they don’t know. Thinking they might be wrong, others remain quiet. Not wanting to appear smarter than everybody else, those who do know won’t raise their hands.
A discussion of ideas becomes possible when people know they can freely express their thoughts without being judged.
Why are answers so important?
Having the right answer might get a good grade on my paper, but the ability to reason, consider possibilities, and arrive at a logical conclusion is much more important.
Most of all, we need to learn how to learn, and questions help us do that.
My young son approached me, looking needy. “Would you help me with my homework?” he said.
I gave him what he asked for but not what he wanted. What’s the difference? He asked for help, but what he wanted were the answers. If I gave him what he wanted, he wouldn’t have to think through the questions and discover the answers.
“Have you read the chapter?” I said.
“Yeah,” he said weakly.
“Go back and read the chapter again. All the problems are to see what you’ve learned from that chapter. If you still can’t answer a question, come see me, and I’ll be glad to help you.”
He never came back, looking for help. Because he learned to read the material, hink through the processes, and find the answers on his own, he became an A student.
To encourage discussion, we need questions without an obvious answer.
When people page through The Discussion Bible for the first time and see all the questions, I wonder about their expression. Are they impressed? Confused? And then they say, “Where are the answers?”
When I hear that question, I can’t help but smile. I understand a little about human nature. We naturally want the answers without the hard work of discovery—if we can get it. I always liked the school texts that had the answers in the back of the book.
God doesn’t mind lots of questions.
Jesus said the Holy Spirit was given to guide us to the truth (John 16:13). Therefore, I think he enjoys our questions. He invites them. Be curious. Go to him with a deep desire to learn from him. Keep asking your questions and listen with an open mind. Occasionally, he’ll supply an answer—the one we most need to hear.
Those who keep asking will receive. Those who keep seeking will find what they are looking for. And the door will be opened to those who keep knocking. — Luke 11:10, The Discussion Bible
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