THE QUESTIONS WE DON’T ASK

He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it. —Mark 9:31, 32

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus makes many references to the fate that would befall Him, trying to prepare His disciples for the end of His public ministry that He foresaw. As we read these statements with hindsight—knowing how this story would end in both death and resurrection—it is difficult to see how the disciples could have failed to understand what Jesus was telling them. But that was because of their expectations of what the Messiah should be. Nevertheless, Jesus was careful to equip them with those insights, even though they might only begin to make sense of them after He was arrested and executed.

Despite His repeated warnings, it was clear that the disciples had little understanding of what Jesus was explaining to them. But, at least to some degree, this was their own failing. They had the opportunity to ask questions but were afraid to seek clarification.

Often, we are afraid to ask questions when we suspect that we will not like the answers we might receive. Sometimes, even the questions frighten us.

Rather than asking, the disciples soon returned to arguing among themselves about who was or would be the greatest in Jesus’ kingdom—again, without knowing much of what that would mean. They would have been far better served by mustering their courage and accepting the warnings that Jesus was giving them. If they had been able to understand what He was facing and why, imagine how they might have been able to support Him in His trial and suffering. Those questions and answers would have challenged their faith and understanding, but they would have transformed their relationship with Jesus.