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Good people can ask bad questions. Doubt, fear, and other emotions can cause even the most faithful to waiver. At the end of Mark four, we read about Jesus and the disciples sailing across the Sea of Galilee. Jesus fell asleep during the journey, but a great windstorm kicked up and threatened to sink the boat. The disciples woke Jesus, and Mark 4:38 says they cried out, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

What a question. Did Jesus care? Of course He cared! He was on the boat because He cared. He was living as a mortal man because He cared. He was moving ever closer to the cross because He cared! But danger can cause doubt, and doubt pulled their eyes away from Jesus. When we question the Lord and His love, we allow doubt to do to us what it did to the disciples on the sea. Don’t ask questions of doubt—trust in the Lord even in the most trying of circumstances.

Sometimes, a question is bad not because of the question itself but because of the reason it is asked. In Luke 10, a lawyer asked Jesus what to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus turned the question around and asked what the Law said. The lawyer responded, “To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus commended the answer and said, “Do this, and you will live.” But the lawyer had another question. He asked, “And who is my neighbor?” Now, that was a great question. But Luke tells us the man asked it “…desiring to justify himself.” See, he wasn’t asking to learn but to try and justify or excuse himself. We should never ask questions based on such motives.

Even though this was a poor reason to ask the question, Jesus responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan. Sometimes, bad questions might give us an opportunity to give good, life-giving answers!

Last week, we discussed some bad questions people asked in the Old Testament. This week, let’s turn to the New Testament, where we can find more examples of “bad questions.”

Luke records an incident in which Jesus was not accepted or allowed in a Samaritan village because He was on His way to Jerusalem. The inhospitality of the village angered a couple of the Lord’s disciples, who thought punishment was in order. Luke 9:54 says, “When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?’” On the surface, the request was impressive. It displayed great faith that they could accomplish such a thing. It also appears that they are defending the Lord’s honor. But Jesus rebuked them. They were taking vengeance into their own hands and letting their prejudices fuel their reaction. Boldness and zeal are good, but only when tempered by knowledge and Christ-like love.

This week, we’ve considered some bad questions people asked in the Old Testament. Let’s finish with one more example.

Nearly everyone knows the story of Jonah. God commanded the prophet to preach to the city of Nineveh,  but Jonah tried to run away. After being swallowed by a great fish and spit back up on dry land, Jonah decided to obey God. And his preaching was successful! The city repented, and God’s judgment was averted. But this didn’t sit well with Jonah, and he prayed to God: “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country?”[1]

This question reveals Jonah’s prejudiced and unloving heart. Further, it demonstrates that his desires and God’s desires were different. Do we think we know better than God? Do we believe we are better judges of character than the Lord? Do God’s desires shape our desires and hopes, or are we set in our own ways?

[1] Jonah 4:2

Yesterday, we discussed King Jehoram’s evil question in Second Kings 6, which displayed a lack of faith in God. Today, let’s consider another question asked during this exchange.

Instead of striking Jehoram down, the prophet Elisha foretold that Israel’s fortune would be reversed within a day. Instead of paying exorbitant prices for dove’s dung and donkey’s heads, flour and barley would be cheap! The king’s captain said, “If the LORD himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?”

The captain’s question is yet another example of a bad question. This question revealed a doubtful and blasphemous heart. Maybe the situation in Israel was dire—but nothing is too hard for God to handle. Perhaps we don’t utter such questions out loud, but do we question God’s ability? Do we doubt God’s power to save? Do we doubt the gospel’s power to change someone else’s heart? Do we ever ask something like, “Even with the Lord, could this thing be?”

Second Kings chapter six records a siege ancient Israel once faced and the deplorable circumstances the capital endured. After hearing a particularly grotesque complaint from one of his citizens, the Israelite King Jehoram became enraged with the prophet Elisha. He sent an execution squad to the prophet’s house with the message, “This trouble is from the LORD! Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?” Jehoram asks a terrible question, just like Cain and Pharaoh, who we’ve already considered this week.

The king’s question revealed an unbelieving and impatient heart. Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” God doesn’t always act according to the timeline we desire, but His ways are greater than ours, so we should be patient and endure while we wait for the Lord. When we question God’s timing and take matters into our own hands, we tread on dangerous and evil ground like King Jehoram of long ago.

Yesterday, we considered Cain’s question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Cain is not alone in asking such a bad question. Today, let’s turn to Exodus and consider the example of Pharaoh.

When Moses was sent to Pharaoh to demand the Israelites be released, Pharoah asked, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.”[1]

First, Pharaoh’s question was arrogant. When questions are asked to condescend and dismiss others, they are evil questions. Second, Pharaoh’s question displayed an attitude of stubbornness. He wasn’t interested in learning about the Lord—his mind was made up already. Just because someone asks a question doesn’t mean they want to learn. Lastly, Pharaoh teaches us that ignorance is not an excuse. Maybe Pharaoh didn’t know who the Lord was—but could have learned. Instead, he persisted in rebellion. Pharaoh’s question was a window into his hardened heart, a heart that led to his downfall.

[1] Exodus 5:2

Have you ever been told, “There’s no such thing as a bad question?” We often hear that in circumstances where folks might be hesitant to speak up but when dialogue needs to be encouraged. And in some circumstances, maybe there are no wrong questions. But bad questions certainly exist because sometimes questions are asked by those with evil motives. Throughout the Bible, there are many instances of bad questions.

For example, in Genesis 4, we read about the first murder. Cain slew his brother in anger and jealousy, and when God asked Cain, “Where is Abel, your brother?” Cain responded, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” Cain’s question was rooted in dishonesty. It was a deflection to try and avoid the truth. Some folk lie with statements—others deceive through questions. Cain demonstrated a lack of remorse over his sin, and lastly, his question was off the mark. Yes, he was his brother’s keeper! Cain’s question was meant to deflect, but it revealed more about him than he realized.

Thanking God for the good people in our lives is a good idea. It’s more than just a good idea. In 2 Thessalonians 1:3, the Apostle Paul says, “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting…”[1] Giving thanks to God, particularly for and about other people, seems like a good and admirable thing. But many of us may think such thankfulness is going above and beyond. But Paul felt that such thankfulness was bound upon him—not just something that would be a good idea, but something he ought to do.

How compelled are we to pray for others? How important is it to us to thank God for those special people in our lives and our church family? I don’t mean to imply that prayers of thanks should be some mandatory burden or legalistic checklist. But our commitment to thanksgiving and its importance to our prayers is likely an excellent barometer of our spiritual outlook.

[1] NKJV