Q and A

First, a correction to yesterday's blog. Tobit probably didn't write the BOOK of Tobit. What I should have said was "(The author of the book of )Tobit must have been the great, great, great, great, great,......great grandfather of O Henry! He sure could write a story!

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(Now to today's entry)

In today's Gospel reading, the Sadducees asked Jesus a question:(Mk 12:18-27)

Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and put this question to him, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, 'If someone's brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. 'Now there were seven brothers. The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants. So the second brother married her and died, leaving no descendants, and the third likewise. And the seven left no descendants. Last of all the woman also died. At the resurrection when they arise whose wife will she be? For all seven had been married to her. "Jesus said to them, "Are you not misled because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are like the angels in heaven.

As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God told him, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?He is not God of the dead but of the living. You are greatly misled."

In Matthew 12: 1-14, the Pharisees asked Jesus a question:

At that time Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath." He said to them,"Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath and are innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath."
Moving on from there, he went into their synagogue. And behold, there was a man there who had a withered hand. They questioned him, "Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?" so that they might accuse him. He said to them, "Which one of you who has a sheep that falls into a pit on the sabbath will not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable a person is than a sheep. So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath." Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and it was restored as sound as the other.

But the Pharisees went out and took counsel against him to put him to death.

And there was a "young man" who asked Jesus a very important question:(Mt 19:16-22)

A young man approached Jesus and said, "Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?" He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." He asked him, "Which ones?"And Jesus replied, "You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself." The young man said to him, "All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

And finally, Peter asked Jesus a profound question (and also answered it!):(John 6:68)

Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life."

So I meditated today not so much on the questions found in Scripture, but the people who asked the questions and the reasons for their inquiries. In the case of the Sadducees, throughout the Scriptures their questions are always those they already know the answer to, or are inane questions asked simply to ask questions because that's their "job" as scribes. They don't really want answers. They only know they have a common enemy with the Pharisees (who they normally detest) in Jesus, and they want to find some question to "stump" Jesus, proving He isn't Who He claims to be. Usually, when He answers the Sadducees, He "pities" or "belittles" them ("You are misled"), then gives them the simplest answers, which humiliates them even more.

The Pharisees and Herodites are openly hostile to Jesus from His first appearance. They too, are not really looking for answers--They only ask questions hoping for answers that will give them cause to put Him to death. When Christ answers their questions, he seems to always preface the answer with, "You hypocrites" or "Why do you ask when you should know the answers?" He (rightfully and justly) holds them to a higher standard than the average Jew.

The young man at least is searching for an answer--it's a pity that he can't (or won't) accept the answer his Master gives him.

Then there is Peter and the rest of the disciples who ask questions that are not only seeking the Truth, but they are open to the answers and look to fulfilling the Will of God.

I can only hope that I fall in the last category.