... why so many questions, Jesus?

More thoughts from the Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren: The more I read the more questions I have. It’s an invigorating and sometimes frustrating experience. Mostly invigorating though, which means refreshing, stimulating, and revitalizing, by the way. One of McLaren’s ideas is that Jesus’ message was less like an advertising slogan – obvious and loud - and “more like a poem whose meaning only comes subtly and quietly to those who read slowly, think long and deeply, and refuse to give up”. I love that. It makes me want to read Jesus’ words differently from now on.

The most fascinating part I am reading now deals with why Jesus didn’t just speak in plain terms for folks coming to him (Nicodemus, woman at the well, rich young ruler). McLaren said that he has asked himself those questions for a long time. "In conversation after conversation, there’s hardly ever a question that he simply answers; instead, his answer comes in the form of a question, or it turns into a story, or it is full of metaphors that invite more questions.”

McLaren goes on to say: “I’ve asked my self questions like these for years now. I’ve read and reread the stories. I’ve consulted commentary after commentary and listened to more than my share of sermons and lectures. Frankly, few experts seem to even notice this pattern of unclarity, of hiddenness, of secrecy – and those who do tend to offer answers that don’t ring true, for me anyway.

What could possibly be the benefit of Jesus’ hiddenness, intrigue, lack of clarity, metaphor, and answering questions with questions? Why risk being misunderstood – or not understood at all? If the message is so important, why hide it in evocative rather than technical language?

For McLaren, he is becoming convinced that Jesus did this in order create “real” followers; ones who would follow him anywhere that his message might take them. Stay tuned tomorrow for a discussion of the very biblical phrase “kingdom of God”, what that meant then, and what it could possibly mean for us now.