I’ve been thinking about the questions we ask and how they reveal our mindset (our assumptions of how the world works, and what is truly important). And the questions we ask often predetermine the answers we want. In a recent sermon I suggested that Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees’ question about divorce (Mark 10.1-12) redirects their question to the deeper issue of God’s design for marriage. The Pharisees were asking the wrong question because they were focused on human preferences and brokenness rather than the divine design and purpose. They were asking, “What is allowed? How can the rules be adjusted to allow for human failure?” What was considered important centered on human concerns. Jesus, in his answer, changes the question. “What is God’s design?” His starting point is God’s plan, not human comforts and securities.
Later I came across an article by Skye Jethani in the current issue of Leadership Journal. Jethani references the account of Jesus and the disciples as they watched the people giving their offerings in the temple (Mark 12.41-44). They observe a widow giving her offering—amounting to about a few cents. The question underlying Jesus’ comment reveals a concern for the heart of the matter, not just surface actions. The culture of the disciples, very much like ours, tends to ask, “How much did she give?” In contrast, Jesus celebrates her gift, asking the very different question, “How much did she sacrifice?”
Jethani proposes that we learn to ask “God-oriented” and “God-directed” questions, rather than human-conditioned questions.
Ministry success or failure depends entirely upon the questions we ask. What the world celebrates as an effective, relevant, and powerful ministry, God may declare failure.
Whoever determines our questions wields enormous power over our lives and work. We must consider the resources we engage, the books we read, the leaders we follow. What questions are they asking? How are they shaping our assumptions about success and failure? Are they helping me ask God-directed questions, or merely human ones?
What Jethani says applies not just to ministry, but also to how we approach life as a whole. We need friends and guides who will help us to ask the right questions. The questions we ask direct us toward specific answers that may or may not align with God’s purposes. The key is to ask the right questions.
—Keith Y. Jainga