Even so, when children do have questions, they always seem to think adults know better; which, to me, seems to have been the framework of what Jesus was saying in Mark 10:15 - we ought to trust God, thinking that God knows better (which children generally do when dealing with adults), but within that framework, we are still allowed (even encouraged) in all innocence, like a child, to seek information and enlightenment, and go as far as possible to try probing the matter right down to its roots.
Jesus does seem to immensely enjoy and even encourage the innocent, incorrigible and sometimes insatiable curiosity of a child; indeed, the questioning young mind, is one of His special joys. For children, it is imperative they find out as much as they think affects them; and so their questions, though seemingly inadvertent, are actually far more incisive, intelligent and effective in seeking out a matter. This is what, to me, Jesus seems to encourage in Mark 10:15. If we think that blind, unquestioning, indifferent acceptance of Jesus' teaching is going to help us, Jesus says, THINK AGAIN. Be like a child - at least ask questions to find out in what way this affects you (if not how it affects someone else), trusting all through that God knows better.
But why do we as adults not question things as much as children? It seems to me that in us adults, the questioning mind is stilled forever, for many reasons - one, our sense of wonder at life is diminishes rapidly as we grow and get to know more; life's cares leave us little room for wonder; but probably one of the biggest detriments to the questioning mind is what led Eve to her fatal act - the failure to trust and her suspicions of God. Have you ever wondered why it is easy for children to ask a teacher they trust many questions freely and without any fear? On the contrary, a teacher they do not trust does not get asked many questions. It's the same with us adults - the less we trust, the fewer questions we ask.
One of the other reasons why we fail to ask questions is the mind-controlling nature of information that is repeated to us over time - it kind of works its way into our subconscious minds, a kind of indoctrination, not a liberating life-giving truth. Simply put, we have heard Bible stories and truths for TOO LONG without questioning, so why start now? For children, on the other hand, most things are new, and the truly child-like mind naturally responds with incisive, often brilliant questions.
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In my experience, Bible stories and Christian truths come alive and begin to work their way into our hearts much more when we receive them like children - not entirely unquestioning, but eager to ask, always trusting in God. Till we question, the Bible just sits there - impervious to us and we impervious to it.
This seems to apply universally to all matters biblical and Christian - great and small. Do you want to know if Balaam's donkey really spoke to him? ASK THE QUESTION! What kind of fruit did Eve eat? ASK THE QUESTION! Maybe your concerns are a little more weighty, and you want to know if Jesus meant a literal thousand-year reign on earth in Revelation 20 - even then, ASK!
I'm not saying I get an answer each time I ask; but asking helps me learn every single time - as long as I ask trusting Jesus. Sometimes I get answers; sometimes I just learn more which changes my perspective. It is a stellar way to grow.
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For a long time, I accepted stories and truths without questioning. I never asked WHY the Bible told a story or explained a truth thus. When I did begin asking questions, however, I found that I was able to understand the WHYs of the Christian faith much better; sometimes because of the answers that Jesus furnished so lovingly, but, more thrillingly, because the search for answers incidentally brought so much important, vital information to light about Jesus, about the Bible, about Christianity, that left me enriched, fulfilled and revitalised beyond my wildest dreams. I'd never have known the riches of it all, had I just blindly and unquestioningly accepted everything.
We take a lot of vital, pivotal, life-changing events and truths for granted when we fail to ask questions. It leaves us with a 'faith' that is in many ways not very unlike a dogma, a creed, a 'mantra', so to speak. This kind of a 'faith' is certainly not the faith the Bible talks about, and such a 'faith' certainly has no power over us - it is certainly the kind of 'faith without works' that James exposes in his little New Testament letter.
For instance, take the pivotal, all-important event of history - the Cross of Christ. We seem to take for granted that it needed to happen, and we fail to ask why. It may seem a tedious question; because with the Cross it is always a case of "deeper still" - there are levels within levels and so on. It remains a mystery; but searching it out only leaves us hungering, thirsting and absolutely breathless for more and more of God's unfathomable love. It completely transforms our thinking! But had we never asked why - we are indeed only going to think of it as dead fact - a view that negates any intrinsic benefit of our knowledge of the Cross. If we aren't even willing to ask WHY, we certainly are no better for just knowing ABOUT the Cross.
Some of the questions I did ask, which Jesus answered spectacularly, in ways that left me breathless and stunned out of my wits, expectant for more, are:
- Why did we have to wait 2000 years for the Cross? What did God mean when He said through Paul that the Cross event happened "in the fullness of time"?
- Exactly what kind of an 'experiment' was God's dealing with Israel? And did the New Testament Church supplant God's 'experiment' with Israel? Was (or is) Israel's story now over?
- Why does the Bible not state things plainly? Why are we always told in part and not in entirety?
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What of those of us who truly believe unlike Thomas, "without seeing"? I am talking about those of us whose implicit faith in our Lord is so paramount, so ingrained, so hallowed, so deep that questioning Him is not something we even think of? In extolling the questioning mind, let me not imply that such unquestioning love, trust and faith are in any way inferior!!!! Far be it.
Such faith usually does not come without the utter abandonment of oneself in never-ending intimacy with The Lord. Questions and answers are indeed too frivolous for such of us - and may The Lord be praised for raising such persons up. Would that we all lived in such intimacy with our Lord - the world would indeed be transformed; and indeed, all through history, such men and women have walked the earth and the world has never forgotten them - they are the sung, and many unsung, heroes of Hebrews 11. This distinguished list also includes all of us who live with a simple faith, such implicit trust and love that questioning is simply out of the question!
Till we truly come to belong to such august company, let us ask our questions, learn, grow, trust and love.
