Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
—Matthew 2:1-2
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
—Luke 2:20
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”
—Matthew 13:36
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”...But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
—Luke 10:25, 29
Many conversations seem to be made up of people who join because they have something they want to say or who join because they have a question they want answered. We've all been in such conversations on a daily basis and know how unproductive they can be.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to learn, but that's subtly different than a willingness to be taught. We might remember the conversation between Joshua and the angel near Jericho. Joshua wanted a direct answer to his question—"Are you on our side or on their side?" The answer began with, "No." There is more to the angel's answer in that passage, but Joshua first had to realize that he was asking the wrong question.
Insistence on either "making my point" or "answering my question" amounts to trying to control the conversation.
The wise men came looking for the newborn Jesus because they wanted to worship. The shepherds came to witness what they had been told about, and they worshiped because of what they had seen. In their best moments, the disciples didn't tell Jesus what they thought. Instead, they let Him tell them what they needed to understand. Unlike the questions of Nicodemus, some people came to Jesus with questions intended to challenge Him. Sadly, the point of some of those questions was self-justification.
Some still look for opportunities to argue with Him, like the unnamed lawyer. Some still want their own questions answered, like Joshua. At our best moments, we let the Word lead us to what we need to understand.
Witness and Worship
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty is above earth and heaven.
—Psalm 148:13
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
—Matthew 2:1-2
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
—Luke 2:20
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”
—Matthew 13:36
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”...But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
—Luke 10:25, 29
Many conversations seem to be made up of people who join because they have something they want to say or who join because they have a question they want answered. We've all been in such conversations on a daily basis and know how unproductive they can be.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to learn, but that's subtly different than a willingness to be taught. We might remember the conversation between Joshua and the angel near Jericho. Joshua wanted a direct answer to his question—"Are you on our side or on their side?" The answer began with, "No." There is more to the angel's answer in that passage, but Joshua first had to realize that he was asking the wrong question.
Insistence on either "making my point" or "answering my question" amounts to trying to control the conversation.
The wise men came looking for the newborn Jesus because they wanted to worship. The shepherds came to witness what they had been told about, and they worshiped because of what they had seen. In their best moments, the disciples didn't tell Jesus what they thought. Instead, they let Him tell them what they needed to understand. Unlike the questions of Nicodemus, some people came to Jesus with questions intended to challenge Him. Sadly, the point of some of those questions was self-justification.
Some still look for opportunities to argue with Him, like the unnamed lawyer. Some still want their own questions answered, like Joshua. At our best moments, we let the Word lead us to what we need to understand.
And then worship.