We went to Red Lobster a while back…for the seafood lover in me, I guess. As usual, there was a wait to be seated. This wait wasn’t as bad as the usual wait, though. It was only “25-30 minutes” according to the lady at the desk. And as a quick side note, I’m thoroughly convinced that smartphones were created by people standing there staring at a lobster tank for an hour while they waited on a table. But we were handed our buzzer, pager, your-table-is-ready-inator, whatever you want to call it and began our wait. First we stood by the lobster tank, then talked about the different colored rubber bands – if there was a significance, then told Cameron to NOT stick his nose in the water (“I wasn’t, I just looking down in the water to see better”) but since he’s MY kid I thought it better to throw out the “don’t do it” first, and ask questions later. And finally a bench opened over by the hostess station. So we scurried over to sit out the rest of our wait while we “people watched”.
After a bit, this one family walked in and had a couple of little girls with them. Looked like a normal family that likely would have been to this restaurant (or others like it) before. But after the hostess handed the woman the “your-table-is-ready-inator”, the kids became fascinated! “Mom, what is THAT thing?!” “Why is it blinking?” “What is it for?” “Will it blink and buzz when our table is ready?” And I thought those were some of the most absurd questions. I mean these kids were probably 8 and 10 years old, and MY kid is 10 years old and he knows what the thing is, so how could they not? I mean we had played with it like it was a taser and everything else…we just took it from the hostess matter-of-factly and started the waiting procedure. But then here came this regular family and the kids acted like it was some amazing new thing. I thought the questions they asked were almost unbelievable.
And I do the same thing with fellow Christians. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and studying lately, and in doing my studying I’ve googled a lot of questions looking for answers to some really tough Bible questions. But search engines hit on key words, and when I search for answer to some pretty hefty questions (for devotional purposes, you don’t really need to know my questions) I get some strange search results. And some of the questions make me shake my head and wonder how just how stupid some of these people are. But they’re not necessarily stupid. Just ignorant. And smart enough to know that they don’t know. And unashamed enough of their questions to ask it. I mean literally, here are some examples of the questions that I read people asking: “Is the parable of the talents just a parable showing that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer?” “Why is God going to judge us and hold us accountable for Adam’s sin?” “Does the Bible say the Earth is flat?”
And while these questions made me chuckle when I read them, I have to understand that I’m reading them as someone who is pushing 40 and has read the Bible (or had it read to me) since I was VERY young. And there was a time that I’m sure I asked questions that some viewed equally as ridiculous. And to include one specifically: “Has Satan actually been thrown out of Heaven yet?” Seems like an insane question, but it’s one that as I read a few verses, I began to wonder. Of course, when you put it all together, it’s a little laughable to look back and think that I even wondered the question. But when Revelation 12:10 says that Satan accuses us before God day and night has been hurled down – and you look at Revelation as future – then certain questions come up. But I read some more, did some asking around for opinion and, like I said, looking back it seems more than laughable.
But studying leads to questions. And it doesn’t matter how far along the path we are, we need to be studying and searching for answers. When we hear a brother or sister in Christ asking questions, then we need to be willing to answer them. And even more so if we’re talking to a non-believer. If they’re asking if this-and-such is a sin, then we need to answer the question. No laughing. No ridicule. Just a simple answer. And with references…don’t just answer them “yes, the Bible says so”. The Bible doesn’t actually say a lot of the things that people think it says or want it to say.
But I was laughing at a lot more of these questions than I realized I was. “Can you BELIEVE that these people are asking these ridiculous questions?!” “Have you even READ the Bible?!” Right up until I saw that family at Red Lobster, and it dawned on me that what is blatantly obvious to me might not be to someone else. And yeah, they might very well have read the Bible. But it’s a big book. And it’s a DEEP book. And if you’re a new Christian trying to get to know who God is and what it means to be Holy and all you have is a small, green Gideon’s Bible that was given to you at a college campus – well then, they might not be able to find the answers to some of these questions so easily. And like everything else in Christianity, it’s about treating others with the love that Jesus had for them.
You want an example of the right way to handle something you think is a question too stupid to have been asked, let’s take a look at how Jesus handled it. Matthew 13, Mark 4, Luke 8 are all parables where the disciples came to Jesus scratching their heads and asking “uhhhh…whaaat”. But not once did Jesus laugh at them, or slap his forehead “what a bunch of maroons” (to borrow a Bugs Bunny line)…not once. What he did was take the time to explain it to them. He spoke in parables – according to His own words – so that the ones hearing would not understand. How did the disciples understand? They went to Him and asked. And He likely would have explained it to the members of His audience had they just asked.
Why didn’t they? I don’t know. Why didn’t I? Thought it was a dumb question, maybe. Scared that I’d look stupid for asking the question, maybe. Embarrassed that the answer might be so simple that I’d look even more stupid for asking it. Or maybe it’s something I thought I should already know if I’d been paying attention, and I don’t want to look like I wasn’t. There a millions answers for why a single question goes unasked.
But Listen for the Whisper that tells you to embrace the opportunity to answer a question from someone searching for Biblical Truth. And if you have to tell them, “I’m not sure, let me get back to you” then tell them that, and then get back to them. But always be ready to answer Bible questions. And like Andrea always tells me when I’m yelling “Come on! That’s an EASY question!” at the TV, “It’s only easy if you know the answer.” So the Bible question that you laugh at may only be easy because you know the answer. And in that case, you should share it gladly…and with compassion and joy because some Christian cared enough to ask it. Because in the asking, they are showing a willingness to learn. And we’re all supposed to be teachers anyway, so take the chance to teach every chance you get. And remember to watch for the clues that God is giving you. I literally had laughed out loud when I read some of the questions that I saw people asking. And then I saw that little girl with the Red Lobster buzzer asking “what does this do”, and just like that I realized that instead of laughing at questions that I thought were dumb and moving on to find answers to my own questions, that maybe I need to take the time to answer a question or two. And answer it with kindness. The same way Jesus answered the questions of His disciples when they asked the questions to Him.
~Dwayne
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