MaryBeth LaMont

Most folks raised in the Lutheran Church who went through confirmation or catechetical instruction have at least some familiarities with Martin Luther’s Small Catechism. Luther realized most Christians in his day were ignorant regarding the basics of the Christian faith: the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostle’s Creed, the Ten Commandments, Sacraments, etc. The Small Catechism, written in question-and-answer form to be easily memorized, was intended for parents to teach their children.

Years later, recognizing the ignorance of 16th Century clergy regarding the same basics, Luther wrote….are you ready for this?…”The Large “Catechism. Its format was not question and answer, but a text, say one of the 10 Commandments, with greatly extended commentary too long to be memorized.

In many ways the church has used the Q & A form even in its speech concerning things of faith. For a long time this was, as in Luther’s day, a typical educational model. Though I remember having to memorize poems in 6th grade like “The Raven”, “Hiawatha” and “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere”, memorization as an educational format disappeared many decades ago.

In the church, however, it still seems at times to be the norm. So often you and I and many Christians (most?) seem often to repeat rehearsed answers regarding faith, Jesus, and God. I wonder if we do this so we don’t have to take Jesus’ questions seriously?

So then, here is a question for you and me? “When is the last time you were questioned by Jesus?” That is, when is the last time we had to stop and think about some aspect of our faith or life because of something we heard or read that Jesus said? When is the last time we had to change our mind our attitude, or our behavior because of some question Jesus or our faith in Jesus posed to us?

Too often when something hits us between the eyes of faith we resort to our stored memory of rehearsed answers. The hard drive of our faith is not easily erased. In many ways it ought not be easily scrubbed clean. It is there for a reason. Yet, as with the best of computers, sometimes incorrect or even bad information has been stored. Jesus works to bring up and confront such information.

Occasionally at various kinds of gatherings we may see someone or several people holding up signs saying, “Jesus is the Answer?” There may even be some smart aleck with another sign asking, “What is the Question?”

Jesus is, for the Christian, an answer to much of the pressing questions we have about God. Yet as answer, Jesus often performs best as question. It is one thing for God to come to us in Jesus and show some of God’s hand to us in the life, teachings, works, death and resurrection of Jesus. It is quite another when some of all this also confronts us with a question about ourselves, about life, or about God, forcing us beyond our comfort zones and intellectual debate to wrestle with faith, and wrestle with God.

Rehearsed answers often serve to keep God at bay so God does not intrude upon us, our life, or our comfortable thoughts. Yet the God who also questions us in Jesus is the same gracious God we have known in Jesus. We need not fear the questions because we need not fear the God who asks them.