Why Questions?

We do two things when we get together. First someone tells/reads a story from Scripture. Then we ask questions and talk about it. What's so important about questions? Why don't we just have somebody stand up at the front and tell us all the things?

Did you notice how God relates to people in the book of Genesis? He asks them questions. "Adam, why are you hiding?...Cain, why are you so angry?" And when Messiah comes, it's no different! "Where are we going to get enough bread to feed this crowd?...How does it read to you?...Why are you crying?" Why? Why does God ask people questions? Is it that he doesn't know the answer? Or could there be a deeper reason?

When someone asks you a question, what happens? They get your attention. You feel drawn in. We're actually wired in such a way that it's almost impossible to not respond when asked about something. A question is an invitation to engage and be yourself. How about when someone just stands there talking at you? Your mind wanders. Or your guard goes up. Or you mumble something about the restrooms and run!

Here's a fun way to remember this difference. The question mark looks like a little hook, and that's what a question does. It engages people and brings them closer. The exclamation mark looks like a little baseball bat, and guess what happens when you start swinging that thing at people? They run!

God is smart. He knows how we're made. He doesn't want to just tell people stuff. He's inviting people to come a little closer and talk with him. He wants to be related to. And he wants to relate to people where they are, for who they are. God really loves people. That's why he asks us questions. It makes you wonder, why are most religious services all about telling you the right answers? Can you blame folks for responding the same way they respond to that guy at the party or the other guy with the baseball bat?

"There are two ways to share knowledge. You can push information out. Or, you can pull them in with a story."