Redeemer East Side Update

Transformed together through Ask

When you think about Jesus’s life and ministry here on earth, what images come to mind? I usually imagine him standing on a hillside preaching the Sermon on the Mount to a large crowd. Or I envision him telling parables to a bewildered and delighted audience. Or I think of the Great Commission where he leaves his disciples with instructions on how to fulfill his mission to the ends of the earth. As true as all of those images are, it is remarkable to note that Jesus’s primary mode of discourse was actually asking questions. One scholar observes that Jesus asks 307 questions to the people who approach him. In those encounters, he is asked 183 questions. He answers only eight directly. Jesus asking questions — and listening intently to the answers — is not how we tend to picture him.

But isn’t this an odd way for the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life to be relating with those who are drawn to him? Wouldn’t the most efficient means of communicating the good news of God’s salvation be to broadcast it as widely and as quickly as possible? If you or I were asked to develop a communication strategy for the One who holds the words of life, asking questions would likely not top the list. The task, it would seem, is far too urgent for all of that.

It is often this same sense of urgency, mixed in with more than a little helping of guilt, that leads Christians to feel like faithfully bearing witness to the gospel is entirely about talking — knowing precisely what to say when, having knock-down answers to hard objections, being equipped with persuasive and winsome arguments. To be sure, bearing witness to the gospel does require thoughtful, winsome speaking. It is, after all, good news. But what if listening is just as essential to bearing faithful witness as speaking? What if Jesus’ way of relating to people isn’t just a curious bit of Bible trivia you can use to impress people at your next dinner party? What if it’s actually part of what it means to incarnate, not broadcast, the good news of God’s grace to our friends and neighbors?
Questions have a way of opening up conversation and connection where answers tend to shut them down. Questions invite participation and dialogue where answers have the tendency to make others passive receivers. Questions cultivate curiosity and compassion in the asker where answers can create a sense of smugness, even superiority. Questions draw the asker into the world of the one answering. It is only when we ask and then listen to those we love that we can begin to hear what good news might sound like to this person.

So join us next Sunday, April 11 at 8 p.m. on Zoom as we gather again as a community to discuss the third Practice of PEACE, "Ask." (Register here.) As usual, we will be using the rest of the month to consider how we might incorporate this practice into our lives in simple and sustainable ways. We’ll be joined by my friend and Brooklyn pastor Rasool Berry who spent months traveling around the world asking people one simple yet crucial question: “Who is Jesus?” You can follow him on his journey in his documentary project entitled "In Pursuit of Jesus." Hope to see you there!

Warmly,

Rev. Abraham Cho
East Side Senior Pastor

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PEACE: An Invitation to Ask

Join Rasool Berry, teacher, pastor and podcaster with the Our Daily Bread series "Where Ya From?" and "In Pursuit of Jesus," on how to Ask winsomely in our culture today, connecting the story of God with the story of the person you’re with.

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PEACE Stories: Ask

We Ask questions the way Jesus did, with a curious and compassionate posture, to spark rich, authentic spiritual conversations (Genesis 3:9). Kimberly shares her story of how praying intentionally and engaging neighbors with curiosity and compassion opened up new possibilities — sparking great conversations, deepening relationships and joining God at work.

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