Raising Questions
"Jesus Found in the Temple" by James Tissot
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The child [Jesus] grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon Him.
Now His parents went to
Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years
old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they
were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not
know it, but supposing Him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but
then they began to search for Him among their relatives and acquaintances, and
when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for Him. After
three days they found Him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening
to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His
understanding and His answers. And when His parents saw Him, they were
astonished. And His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have You treated us so?
Behold, Your father and I have been searching for You in great distress.’ And He
said to them, ‘Why were you looking for Me? Did you not know that I must be in My
Father’s house?’ And they did not understand the saying that He spoke to them. And
He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And His
mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
And Jesus increased in
wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:40-52).
Grace to you and peace
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Questions are one of
the most important tools in a teacher’s portfolio. Questions asked. Questions
answered.
In order to stimulate
more profound thinking, Jewish rabbis often responded to people’s inquiries by
posing their own questions. As we see throughout the Gospels, Jesus is a master
of this technique. He’s always answering a question with a question. Usually,
it’s the question He should have been asked in the first place. Already as a
pre-teenager, Jesus was able to engage the best religious minds in this manner.
In our text, Jesus is depicted as Rabbi par excellence, even from His
youth. The composure and poise that a twelve-year-old boy would need in order
to amaze the great teachers contrasts sharply with His unnerved parents.
Those of you who come
to Bible class may have noticed that I sometimes like to ask tough questions,
questions that make everyone struggle for a bit. I might even allow for a few moments
of uncomfortable silence. It is my experience that when I must grapple with a
question that I learn the most and remember it best.
One of my favorite times
in Sunday School or Catechism Class is what I call “Stump the Pastor.” Each of the
students get to ask any Bible question (as long as they seriously want to know
the answer) and I will attempt to answer it as best as I can. Most of the time
I can give a satisfactory answer because I have already been asked that
question another time or have pondered it for myself. Occasionally, they’ll ask
a question I can’t answer on the spot. And that’s okay. None of us know
everything, but each of us can learn more. So, if I’m not able to answer the
question, I tell them I will do some research and we’ll get back to it the next
week.
They’re always eager to
ask questions. I suspect it might be because they think the more questions they
ask, the less time we’ll have for “real” class time, but my philosophy is that
they’re asking the questions that are most on their mind and are therefore the
most helpful to deal with. Strike while the iron is hot, when they’re most interested
and vulnerable (er, I mean “teachable”).
I take the same
approach in Bible class. We don’t follow a strict schedule where we have to get
a full lesson done each time. We’ll usually deal with most any question even if
it comes out of left field. I appreciate those who are willing to ask questions.
Often, someone will remark that they had the same question but were afraid to
ask.
Speaking of questions: Our
Gospel raises all kinds of questions for us as readers, even as it raises multiple
unanswered questions within itself. One question that we could address briefly
is the glaring, “How could they lose Jesus?” The extended family and community
likely traveled in a caravan and would meet up as a group at the end of the
day. And I suspect that like many of you, Jesus and His young friends experienced
more “free-range parenting” than “helicopter parenting” than most kids do
today.
But that question is
not Luke’s focus. Luke, instead, concentrates on questions about the identity
of Jesus. Specifically, he centers in on questions about the identity of Jesus
and how His mother experiences those questions. Most of the narrative is told
from the perspective of His parents, with an emphasis on Mary.[i] “Now His parents went
to Jerusalem…And when He was twelve years old, they went up… And when
the feast was ended, as they were returning… His parents did not
know… they went a day’s journey… they began to search… they did
not find… they returned… they found… And when His parents saw
Him, they were astonished. And His mother said to Him…” You get
the idea.
What do Mary and Joseph
find Jesus doing in the Temple? “Listening to [the teachers] and asking them
questions.” In verse 46, Jesus is the one asking the questions. In verse 47,
Jesus answers the questions: “And all who heard Him were amazed at His
understanding and His answers.” Jesus is apparently quick to pick up on
the rabbinical method of discourse through questions because His exchange with
Mary is also marked by three unanswered questions.
First, Mary asks her
question on behalf of Joseph and herself: “Son, why have you treated us so?” To
which Jesus responds with two questions of His own: “Why were you looking for
Me? Did you not know that I must be in My Father’s house?” And none of the
questions are answered. In fact, Luke explicitly tells us in verse 50 that Mary
and Joseph did not understand.[ii]
The episode of the boy Jesus
in the Temple raises many questions. It raised questions for Mary (and Joseph),
and it raises questions for us. But I would guess that the questions this text
raised for Mary may be the opposite kinds of questions it raises for us.[iii]
We can summarize the
heart of Mary’s question like this: “What does it mean that my little boy is
the Son of God the Father?”
We can summarize the
heart of our question like this: “What does it mean that the Son of God the Father
is Mary’s little boy?”
Some thirteen years
earlier, Mary heard God’s Word of promise through Gabriel and God miraculously
accomplished just what He said He would do. But from that point on, Mary and
Jesus appear to have a typical mother-son relationship. “This reading begins
and ends with images of a normal child developing, behaving, and relating to His
parents in the normal way: Growing, learning, traveling, submitting, and
increasing in wisdom and stature.”[iv]
For Mary, the odd part
is when Jesus goes off by Himself, plays the part of rabbi in the Temple, and
speaks enigmatically in response to a seemingly straightforward question. Up
until this exchange, and immediately after it, everything was largely normal.
Again, we can summarize the heart of Mary’s question like this: “What does it
mean that my little boy is the Son of God the Father?”
But I suspect that for
most of us today, we stumble over the opposite side of things. Once more, we
wonder, “What does it mean that the Son of God the Father is Mary’s little boy?”
We are used to Jesus going off and doing His own thing. “We know His propensity
for parables and hidden sayings. We know He will follow His Father’s hidden
will, no matter the shock it might lead to in others or the cost it would bring
upon Himself.”[v]
But what does it mean
for Jesus to have learned? We can go to theological categories like His “State
of Humiliation” and kenosis, but it is difficult to wrap our minds
around reconciling Luke 2:40-52 with Colossians 1:15-20. How does the second Person
of the Trinity submit to Mary and Joseph (note verse 51 has them,
including Joseph and not just her)? How could Jesus, very God of very
God, increase in favor with God?
In acknowledging these
difficulties and in holding these two questions in tension, you can experience a
faith in Jesus which is more nuanced and truer to real life than any concise
and comfortable answer would lead you to experience.
Because, despite the pastor
often being put in the role of Bible Answer Man, many of you may not feel the
Church is a safe place to ask your real questions, to have doubts, and to
struggle with what you feel you are supposed to believe. But there is no shame
in having questions or struggling with doubt. Struggle is often part of the
growth process and that goes for things of faith.
Sometimes you will find
that the Bible doesn’t really answer a particular question. That just means
that it’s not a question that we really need the answer for. God never promises
answers to our every question, but He does answer everything we need to know
for our salvation and for living a life according to His will and Word. Such
questions not answered in Scripture are called “open questions” by theologians.
Francis Pieper, a
Lutheran theologian from the late 19th and early 20th
centuries writes: “Correctly defined, open questions are such questions as inevitably
arise in our study of the Scripture doctrines but are not answered by Scripture
at all or at least not clearly. And Scripture enjoins us to let them remain
open questions. If we presume to answer them and ask men to accept our opinion
as divine truth, we would be rejecting those Scripture passages which forbid us
to add anything to God’s Word (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; 1 Peter 4:11). Every
true theologian must learn not only to speak, but also keep silence. He should
speak where and as far as God’s Word speaks; he should hold his tongue where
God’s Word is silent.”[vi]
Unfortunately, our
culture is deeply dogmatic on nearly every conceivable topic, and people often feel
pressure to have a strong opinion and answer about everything.[vii] In our context, it can
be deeply refreshing to hear someone in the Church express humility and
acknowledge the difficult questions we have as we wrestle with our own faith.
Being clear about where we have conviction. It lets us say, “Here is what I do
not know. Here is what I wonder. Here is what I struggle with. But here is what
I do know…”
It is in this firm
transition that our confident proclamation can really shine. Because rather
than pretending to know everything, which leads to a self-confidence, we
can have humility in our ignorance and confidence in what God has clearly
revealed in Jesus. Jesus is the One who finds the lost. Jesus is the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Jesus is the very son of Mary who
takes on our flesh, takes on our sin, and reconciles us to the Father. Jesus is
the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world Jesus is the Way and the
Truth and the Life. Nobody comes to the Father except by Him.
In Him you have forgiveness,
salvation, and eternal life. Indeed, for Jesus’ sake you are forgiven for all
your sins.
In the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Unless otherwise
indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard
Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good
News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[i]
Gospel: Luke
2:40-52 (Christmas 2: Series C) | 1517,
https://www.1517.org/articles/gospel-luke-240-52-christmas-2-series-c.
[ii]
Gospel: Luke
2:40-52 (Christmas 2: Series C) | 1517,
https://www.1517.org/articles/gospel-luke-240-52-christmas-2-series-c.
[iii]
Gospel: Luke
2:40-52 (Christmas 2: Series C) | 1517,
https://www.1517.org/articles/gospel-luke-240-52-christmas-2-series-c.
[iv]
Gospel: Luke
2:40-52 (Christmas 2: Series C) | 1517,
https://www.1517.org/articles/gospel-luke-240-52-christmas-2-series-c.
[v]
Gospel: Luke
2:40-52 (Christmas 2: Series C) | 1517,
https://www.1517.org/articles/gospel-luke-240-52-christmas-2-series-c.
[vi] Pieper, Francis, Christian Dogmatics,
Volume 1. Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, p. 93-94
[vii]
Gospel: Luke
2:40-52 (Christmas 2: Series C) | 1517,
https://www.1517.org/articles/gospel-luke-240-52-christmas-2-series-c.
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