John 14:21-24 • Ask Away

The John Project

My prayer life includes me asking a lot of questions. Many arise out of my Bible reading, and others just erupt from my daily experiences. But I’ve learned the importance of finding a quiet place and bringing them to the Lord in prayer even though I know some of them won’t be answered or at least not yet. In those cases, I know it’s not that the answers don’t exist or that God is deliberately withholding them from me. It’s usually because I don’t have the frame of reference required to comprehend the answers, like when a four-year-old asks where babies come from. Other times, it’s because I don’t even know how to ask the right questions. Still, even when I don’t get an answer to the question I've asked, the act of asking it helps deepen my relationship with Jesus and my understanding of his ways because it provides an opportunity for me to interact with him. His goal is always deeper communion with us. And that’s why one of the things we learn about Jesus in the accounts of his life and ministry is that he welcomes queries and at times even intentionally raises them. So, not surprisingly, this is the approach Jesus used as he prepared the Twelve for his crucifixion. And after having fielded comments and questions from Peter, John, Thomas, and Philip earlier in the chapter, John 14:21-24 contains his response to a question from another of the disciples. After saying that those who really love him naturally engage in keeping his commands as an expression of that love, he went on to promise that he would manifest himself to those who do as an expression of the love he and the Father have for them. This prompted the question from Judas – not Judas Iscariot who would betray Jesus but the other disciple with the same name who was also known as Thaddaeus. He asked, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” The text then says, “Jesus answered…” But the Greek word translated as answered here can also refer simply to a reply that follows a question, not necessarily the answer to it. Now, it’s unclear whether Judas was asking about the mechanics of how the Lord would be able to reveal himself to his followers without being seen by others or about the reason why he would do that. Either way, the Lord didn’t provide him an answer. Instead, before clarifying the obvious – that those who don’t love him demonstrate that by choosing not to keep his commands – he reiterated what he’d just said about the importance of showing love for him by obeying his words. But this time around, rather than simply repeating his promise to manifest himself to those who do, he amplified it by saying he and the Father will make their home among them. This was a different facet of the same promise, but the Lord’s language here and its implications are even more profound. So, even if Jesus was unable to answer Judas’ specific question, the interaction that ensued because he asked it resulted in him being offered a gift of understanding he wouldn’t even have known to ask for. And that’s been my experience too. A sincerely posed question to Jesus will always lead to rich engagement with him if we’re willing not to insist he answer the one we’re asking. And it can often escort us into unexpected revelation as well. Please don’t deprive yourself of these blessings. Do you have questions for Jesus? Go ahead, find a quiet place, and ask away.