Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Your teacher used to say that there is no such thing as a dumb question. Is that true? Well, the fact is that I have asked a lot of dumb questions. I think ultimately a dumb question is one that is asked to get an argument and not to get an answer. Those questions are a waste of time. As you listen to the questions of many a student to a teacher, regardless of your opinion about that given situation, it is obvious that there is a difference between asking a question for an argument and asking a question for an answer.
Sometimes we have seen so many questions that are given for an argument that we are timid to ask legitimate, hard questions, especially of God. We have a story here that shows us we need not be timid. You see, the Lord is gentle to those who look to Him, whatever their question may be.
In Matthew 11:2-3 the Bible says, “Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” Now there is no doubt that in prison things look differently than they do from your house. In good times things look differently than they do when things are bad. So, whether John himself had this particular question, the question came up because things were not going well. John was in prison.
Jesus’ answer is definitive, gentle, and it has to do with the actions Jesus was taking. It wasn’t a “yes or no” answer; it was a “go and show” answer. Go and show John the things that you hear and see. They were discernable. “The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.”
John had a difficult question. Life was not shaping up the way he thought it would, given Who Jesus is. But when John asked this question, Jesus was completely free with His answer. Jesus ultimately says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Do we have difficult questions in our hearts? Yes! Are our questions sometimes troubling to us? Yes! Sometimes we are troubled that we even have the question.
But, there is a difference between John and the cities that rejected the works they saw Jesus do. There is a difference between being open and being hostile. John was open. He didn’t know all the answers, but that is why he asked Jesus.
Anyone with an open heart can get an honest answer from God. The Lord is gentle to those who look to Him. If you have a question that is troubling, the problem is when you look to your iPhone and not to the Lord. If you have a question about the Lord or about the light that He gives, look to Him. He will not scold you or send you away. You can trust Him.