What can we ask Y’shua, or rather, what do we believe is appropriate to ask Him? Most, if not all of us, would say, ‘everything’, yet our actions tell a different story. I love the fact that the disciples felt empowered to ask Jesus anything, even that which we think was inconsequential. Their ‘stupid questions’ offer us insights as we attempt to understand the Bible in this season. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Matthew 24:3 NIV
[3] As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Tell Us What Will Happen
Despite their misgivingsabout the destruction of the Temple, it seems the disciples took Y’shua at His word. But, they either wanted proof or, like King Hezekiah, hoped that it would not happen in their time. And they asked for more information with the expectation that Y’shua would answer.
Self-Check
When we go to God with a question or request, do we go with the confidence that we will be answered?
Application
Matthew 16 and Luke 11 both recount the stalemate between Y’shua and the religious right. In response to their request for signs and miracles, Y’shua described them as ‘perverse’. His cryptic proof was as much parable, as it was fact. They asked questions to discredit Y’shua, not with a real desire to be transformed.
The disciples’ request for a date may sound similar to the questions posed at Y’shua Jesus by the religious right. Yet, Jesus’ response to His students is different, as we will see in the ensuing days. I suspect that the difference was in the ‘who’ and the ‘why’.
As a Teacher, Y’shua sought to provide His disciples with the tools (answers) needed for ministry. He understood that they weren’t necessarily learned in Scripture, so they required more interpretation of spiritual masters. Additionally, when He departed earth, this was information that would prove useful for the disciples in their ministry.
It may also be that Y’shua sought to alleviate the disciples’ fears implicit in their question. Note that they linked the destruction of the Temple with the End Times. That might be related to what we discussed prior. They might have thought that the destruction of the temple meant God was done with God’s people, and if that was the case, they probably wanted to ensure that their spiritual affairs were in order. Isn’t that part of our motivation also?
Ultimately, siblings, the question also frees us to ask questions of Y’shua, or of God’s Spirit as we travel this path in faith. Whether we’re asking for ourselves, our community, or ‘asking for a friend’, we have the assurance that we are heard and will be answered.
Point to Ponder
What do we wish God’s Spirit to reveal to us, and what’s our motive? Let’s speak to Y’shua today.
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May all we seek be found in Christ
