Questions Jesus Asked

Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me? (John 18:11) Have you ever considered a challenge or an ordeal through which you are passing or facing, as a cup? Jesus sees His upcoming ordeal and death as a cup and says so to Peter. Jesus knew He was not alone, and He knew that He would emerge from the other side victorious. The cup handed to Him was a bitter one, but Jesus did not drink it alone. Nor do we. What cup has been served to you? Before that first sip, what are your thoughts? What's in your heart about that first sip or the first big gulp? You do not drink alone. The cup has been poured, and Jesus holds you as you hold the cup.

Whom are You Looking For? (John 18:4, 7) Twice within this chapter, the same question is asked: Whom are You Looking For? Jesus asks this of those who came to arrest Him at night, bringing torches and weapons. Jesus asks them the question and replied it was He whom they were seeking. When Judas approaches and betrays Him, Jesus asks again, Whom are you looking for? Jesus knew His fate and answered twice so that His disciples would not be taken away. Jesus never hid nor ran. In fact, He was always in the temple during the day and out in public when He was not in the temple during these days. If you're looking for meaning and purpose in Your life, seek Jesus. If you want answers to challenges and problems, seek Jesus. Jesus never hides.

Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? (John 14:9) In the midst of great revelations about death and life beyond death, Jesus has to ask this question because Philip says he does not know the Father. Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Philip and all who traveled with Jesus had seen things they had never seen before in their life; countless miracles, including the recent resurrection of Lazarus, and now that Jesus is speaking of Heaven, Jesus speaks of His Father, and Philip has to ask the question that prompts Jesus' question. If we know Jesus and love Jesus; then we know God the Father and love God the Father; all that Jesus has done in our lives has been the work of God! I hear Jesus and God saying, "Don't be strangers to me!"

Do you know what I have done to you? (John 13:12) Jesus had just washed His disciples feet, and probably had blown away their minds with that action. For a man in His position to assume that of a servant or slave, was unheard of. And so, the question is a good one: Do you know what I have done to you? They probably did not know what Jesus had done for them. It was just something that a rabbi or teacher, like Jesus, to do for anyone. Yet, in the verses that follow, Jesus speaks of servanthood and what we need to assume as our duty, to better serve God and get across the message of God's love for all people. The best sign of a leader is one who is willing to do what is necessary and perhaps what no one else would ever think to do. Our model for leadership is Jesus.

Where have you laid him? (John 11:34) This is the question Jesus asks when He desires to see the resting place of his friend Lazarus. Lazarus had died, though Jesus told His disciples he was merely sleeping. But Jesus wants to be with the grieving sisters and He wants to glorify God by doing what He did once He got to the tomb. Key that two verses later, we find the shortest verse in some versions of the Bible, "Jesus wept." Jesus' emotions got the best of Him and He wept, just like any human, because He was fully human. Jesus' question from that point on speaks of the truth of those who die in the Lord. We are laid to rest, awaiting that moment when Jesus will call us to life and entry into glory. Our call it live a righteous life and one that is ready to glorify Him.

and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ (John 11:35) Ah, the sisters of Lazarus! They loved their brother and were lost without him. They even sent for Jesus to come and heal him before he got worse, but he died. Four days later, they confront Jesus with basically the same question many of us ask at funerals of loved ones, "Lord, where were You?" Jesus reveals the truth in the first part of today's question: "and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" Martha replied that she believed, and her faith said that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. Our faith should match Martha's; we believe in Jesus and we believe and trust in His words.

Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours of daylight? (John 11:9) News of the death of His good friend Lazarus, had the disciples worried about a trip through a certain area, and worried that another death may occur by going that way. Jesus was not concerned about His safety and thus His question: Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours of daylight?' He followed it with "Those who during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of the world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them." Jesus' desire was to do good always; He did not worry about those whose motives were best served in the dark. You and I were meant to follow the light of the world and reflect it; leave the night work to be done by those lost. Tell them about the light is our job.