Friday, January 20, 2012

Reflection: The Answers Are in the Questions (January 15, 2012)

3rd Sunday After Epiphany
1 Samuel 3:1-10; 1 Cor. 6:12-20; John 1:43-51


One of the techniques for doing well on tests is to pay close attention to the questions. When we take the time to really think about what is being asked we can gain an insight into the question that helps lead us to the correct answer. In other words, it's not unusual for the answer to be in the question. In today's Epistle and Gospel lessons we encounter a number of questions. While these questions are not on a test, they do test our understanding of Jesus and His will for us. They are asked to get us to think about what it means to be His disciples and how we are to make use of His gifts of grace and faith.

The questions that God asked the Corinthian questions found in today's Epistle reading are good examples of questions that answer themselves. These questions begin alike with "Do you not know …" and then ask about things that these believers knew very well. As we read these questions we recognize that we know these things too. But it's the question that isn't asked here that causes us difficulty. We know these things, so why do we live our lives as though we don't? Does what we know really make a difference in our lives?

Most Christians really don't care to ask themselves these question for fear of realizing that the answer is far too clear. The sad reality for many of us is that knowing the good news of Jesus hasn't had much impact in how we live our lives. We can easily answer the question, "Should it make a difference?", but we struggle with answering, "How should it make a difference?". The answer to these questions are found in the answers to some other questions that we don't like to consider: Are we, like Samuel, listening to the Lord? Do we, like the Corinthians, use what God has given us in ways that glorify Him instead of indulge our desires? Do we, like Philip, respond to Jesus' call to follow Him without hesitation — and without question? Or are we more like Nathanael who questioned the Savior when He worked outside of his expectations? His first question shows his lack of understanding about Jesus. The second question He asked in today's Gospel shows his lack of understanding about himself. "How do you know me?" is a telling question — one we may not have asked because we think we know the answer. But the answer to this question is more than we would guess even though the answer is in the question.

 Audio of sermon based on this reflection

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