I’ve heard a lot of really dumb questions
during my lifetime. Of course, I have been guilty of asking some of
them. Being a Vietnam veteran I’ve been asked the typical dumb
questions, like: “Have you ever killed anyone?” “What do
you do with all that retirement money?” “Did you protest against the
war?” And the dumbest question, ever; “Did you ever meet
Forest Gump?”
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day accused him
of saying dumb things (against them) and even some
observers to his ministry would have put many of his questions into
the dumb category. Here’s a small example from Matthew 6:27: “Can
any of you by worrying add a single moment to your lifespan?” The
obvious answer is…NO. Jesus was trying to get them to see the
obvious.
The best example of what one might consider to
be a dumb question is recorded in John 5, where sick or handicapped
people would sit or lie by the Pool of Bethesda and wait for the
angel to stir the water so they could get into the water and be
healed. The Bible says, in verses 5 and 6: “Now a certain man
was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw
him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that
condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be
made well?” On the surface, that sounds like a really
dumb question. If I had been that man I could see myself saying,
”DUH!”…is grass green?! You would think that anyone in such
condition would want to be whole again. So, why would Jesus ask such
a question?
After some contemplation, I can venture a guess
as to why he would ask. For 38 years the man had depended on someone
else to do pretty much everything for him…his food, transport,
medical care (as rudimentary as it may have been), etc. He had grown
accustomed to being cared for. Certainly, he needed that
help but it could have deprived him of an understanding of what it
was like to have to be responsible for himself. Possibly, hidden in
a metaphorical parentheses following the words…“Do you want to
be made well”…are some additional questions; such as…”Are
you ready to get up every morning and go out to earn a living like
everyone else?”...”Are you ready for the responsibilities of raising
and caring for a family?” … “Are you ready to pay taxes and help
your neighbors and do the challenging work of building relationships
and learn how to survive during drought and storms and hard
times?”…”Are you prepared to carry someone else who is lame, just as
they have carried you?”
After the man was healed, he then had all of
those daily responsibilities, just as his extended family and
friends did. The responsibilities of life can be daunting for one
who has never had to shoulder such responsibilities. So, the
question…”Do you want to be made well?”…wasn’t such a dumb
question after all. Maybe…although the man was lame, Jesus knew
that he had begun to feel “entitled” to some degree. Maybe
Jesus wanted to know if the man was serious about facing the
incredible life-change that was about to happen.
If I asked people, at random, “Would you
like to win the mega-lottery?”…most would consider that to be a
dumb question. Yet, multiple surveys of lotto-winners show that
about 90% wish they had never won; they couldn’t handle the drastic
change to their life required to manage the chaos that followed.
Here we are, entering the holiday season, from
mid-November through the New Year. There will be tons of food and
fellowship and celebrating and presents and some overt partying. In
the middle of all that I recommend you stop and maybe look in the
mirror and ask yourself some SMART questions…like;
“What is the most important thing to me at
this point in my life?”
“What do I want to accomplish with the rest
of my life?”
“What am I willing to DO or STOP DOING to
help me accomplish it?”
“What legacy do I want to leave that will
inspire my family to be successful?”
“What part will GOD have in my life…what is
HIS Will for me and how can I express it?”
Add some other questions that more closely
express who you are. Just be sure to make them SMART questions.
I pray you will find answers to your questions
and experience many blessings in your life!
Max Holt, Class 02-67
Association Chaplain
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