20 One day, as Jesus[a] was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up 2 and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.”
21 So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality,[d] but truly teach the way of God. 22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?”
28 and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man[f] must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second 31 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. 32 Afterward the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.”
As we continue to meditate on the word of God in Luke chapter 20, we notice a few questions that the scribes, chief priest, and the sadducees have asked Jesus.
What do you think about their questions?
How would Jesus feel when He was asked these questions?
Why would Jesus rebuke them in front of everyone after they have asked Him?
What kind of questions have they just asked?
What do these change our ways of questioning God?
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What kinds of questions have they asked?
Out of ignorance
In Question 1: Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things?
They have asked questions out of their ignorance about the truth.
“These answers of His were not the sharp retorts of smartness, but the final utterances of a wisdom which revealed the ignorance of the questions.” (Morgan)
Jesus showed great courage by boldly entering Jerusalem and driving out the corrupt merchants from the temple courts. Now the religious leaders wanted to know by what right Jesus did such things. “Jesus’ teaching, preaching, and surely His cleansing of the temple (Luke 19:45-46), were viewed by the officials as highly controversial if not adversarial.” (Pate)
A question of testing
In Question 2: Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
Jesus said, ‘’Why do you test Me?’’ If there was some exasperation in the voice of Jesus as He said this, it was not only on His own behalf. It is easy to imagine that Jesus thought, “Why do you keep testing Me when you always lose? How long will you try to get the best of Me?”
Jesus gave a wise and appropriate answer to their question as you read His answer in verses 23-26 in this chapter.
A lack of faith
In question 3: Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife.”
The Sadducees, who deny there is a resurrection. This shows their lack of faith in the truth. The Sadducees asked Jesus a hypothetical – and ridiculous – question, hoping to show that the idea of the resurrection was nonsense.
(34-36) Jesus corrects their misunderstanding of resurrection life by showing it is life of an entirely different order.
(37-40) Jesus proves the resurrection from the Scriptures.
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Why would Jesus rebuke them in front of everyone after they have asked Him?
God knows the deepest of the deepest of our hearts (Jeremiah 17:10). Jesus perceives and discerns their evil intentions against Him. So He rebukes them and warns about the hypocrisy of the scribes and the religious leaders (v 41-47).
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Spiritual lesson:
We have to be careful questioning God. Let us avoid asking questions out of ignorance, testing God, or lack of faith. Let's ask with the right intent of our hearts.
When does questioning God goes wrong?
Have you asked God these sorts of questions?
If you are a good God, Why have you let me experience these sufferings and problems in my life? Why don’t you answer me?
Blaming God in a sort of questioning His ability and nature is a question out of ignorance of who He really was. It means that we are ignorant about His existence and we don’t have a deeper relationship with Him because if we have, we would never question God’s ability to work in our midst. We have to remember that we cannot fathom God’s wisdom and understanding.
A situation like this can be done in trusting, not questioning. Or might as well search God and know Him deeper. (Jer 19:13)
If you are really a powerful God, why don’t you take my sickness away? Why don’t you do something to ease my pain?
Black mailing God in a form of question is a sort of testing His power. Let’s remember that Satan put Him into the test when He tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Blackmailing God to get what we want will never work. He knows when to answer our prayers when our hearts are right, so might as well wait. Those who continuously hope in the Lord will never be disappointed (Isa 19:23b).
I have already given my help directly to others, why do I have to give it through tithes and offerings?
Questions to justify our actions is a lack of faith because of the lack of obedience to His words. Sometimes we don’t have to understand, we just obey because it’s what His command says. His words never lie. Faith is the obedience to His words. There are things that we will understand after we obey. If we do not obey, we will not see the results and we will not understand. If you keep on questioning why you have to give tithes instead of starting to obey, you will never understand. This situation can be done by obeying, not questioning (1 John 2:3-11)
Reflections:
What kind of questions have you just asked?
Was there any instance that you questioned God’s nature and ability to work in your midst in your difficult situations?
Have you also asked God in a way of blackmailing Him to get what you want?
Or questioning God’s words because you find it hard to obey?
How do you think God feels when you question him again that way?
How would you like to change your approach to God when you want to ask Him or you want to know things?
