Sometimes when we ask a question, we listen with our whole bodies, because the answer means so much to us — “Will my baby live?” Other times we ask a question that places our vulnerability on the line — “Will you marry me?” We often run across an article that tells us what to ask a financial planner to find out if he knows his stuff, because he holds our future in his hands. When we ask these kinds of questions, we don’t know the answer, and we don’t have control. Some people who ask questions know something of how the answers will turn out, and they use the asking to gain an advantage. An attorney cross-examining a witness seeks to discredit the testimony the witness has given. Some questions intend to show superiority, because the asker thinks he or she knows more than the answerer does.

            In what spirit does this lawyer, this expert on the Jewish teaching, ask Jesus this question? Matthew gives us some insight when he tells us that the religious expert “tested” Jesus. Did he “test” Jesus to see if Jesus passed the “real deal” criteria? Did he “test” Jesus to see if he could trip Jesus up? Did the religious expert know what answer to expect from Jesus, so that the test covered Jesus’ ability to answer thoughtfully and faithfully, or did the expert hope for an answer that could lead to a “gotcha”? Matthew doesn’t tell what response the expert makes to Jesus’ answer, so we don’t know what happened next. Did the expert leave with the answer he wanted, with a different attitude, with a deeper insight into the Jewish teachings? Did he find some satisfaction for his question about Jesus’ authority?

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