September 15, 2024
Asking Jesus a Question is Dangerous A wise theologian and my good friend Jack Shea says, “Notice how scripture tells us that asking Jesus a question is dangerous.” Here are some examples. In Matthew 22:35 a lawyer asks Jesus, “Which commandment in the law is the greatest?” This seems straightforward. He is seeking one commandment as greater than the rest, and he is a lawyer who knows the law. For the Old Testament people the law centered on the Ten Commandments, given to them through Moses by God. Remember the encounter in which Moses ascends the mountain, symbolizing his desire to get close to God, and God reaches down to get closer to humanity. The result is a structure of laws designed to guide the Divine/Human partnership that I so often call an enterprise. The Law was given to humanity by God. Notice that Jesus answers the first Commandment word