Mark 12:37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.
Answers or Arguments?
Sunday night I was driving home from church when my youngest child asked me a question, and, boy, was it a good question! It is easier to appear smart by asking a good question than it is to appear smart by giving a reasonable answer. I’ve discovered that my kids in every stage of their lives have been better at asking good questions than I have been at giving good answers.
All of us have questions, and, of course, the Lord Jesus has answers. In Mark 12 there are a couple of stories about people who had questions for the Lord Jesus, but the bottom line is that people who want the truth more than they want to win an argument find fewer objections to obeying Jesus.
The questions began when some Pharisees and Herodians were sent to Jesus “to catch him in his words.” When Jesus heard their question, which was a good question on the face of it, He replied, “Why tempt ye me?” Later, the Sadduccees asked Him a question about the resurrection.
Neither of these groups that asked questions wanted answers, they wanted an argument. Rebels easily see conflict as an obstacle to obedience.
It is interesting that at the end of the passage, the Bible says, “And no man after that durst ask him any question.” In other words, when they saw that He gave good answers, they no longer had questions. If you had a good question and someone could give you a good answer, wouldn’t you ask more questions rather than fewer questions?
People who want the truth more than they want to win an argument find fewer objections to obeying Jesus. That is clearly shown toward the end of Mark 12 where it says, “And the common people heard him gladly.”
Are you willing to hear Jesus gladly? Do you want an answer or do you just want an argument? Maybe you have questions that you feel need to be answered. Well, God is not opposed to sincere questions from any seeking heart. The person that will never get an answer is the person who doesn’t want to submit once they have the answer. When we have a heart of willingness, God gives answers, and God gives guidance.