The Right Answers
And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” Luke 4:8
I have observed teaching times in a preschool children’s Bible study class. Inevitably, every question their teachers asked received the same answer.
“How did Moses lead the Israelites across the Red Sea?” Two or three hands would immediately shoot up, waving eagerly, hoping to be called on. The chosen child would proudly answer, “Jesus!” “That is not exactly what I was looking for,” the teacher would respond, pointing to the next child with his hand up. Happy to be called on, this child would almost yell, “GOD!”
The next question might be more along the lines of “Why was Moses not permitted to enter the Promised Land?” The responses were the same, “Jesus!” “GOD!”
Is He the Answer?
Were those children wrong? After all, it was only by the power of God that the Red Sea was parted and the Israelites could make their way across it. It was God who judged Moses’ actions and did not permit him to enter the Promised Land. These were not the answers the teacher had in mind, but in the bigger picture God is the answer to those questions.
Often, although it is not the exact answer we are looking for, “Jesus!” or “God!” is the ultimate answer to our questions. Christian teachers and writers need to be more like these children — we must have God foremost in our minds and go to Him for what we teach or write.
John 15:5 makes it clear that we can do nothing without Him. We bear fruit only by abiding in Him and receiving spiritual nourishment from Jesus, the Vine. As Christian writers, teachers, or parents, the greatest reward we can hope for is fruit for the Lord from those who receive our teaching.
As a Sunday School teacher wants to convey truths that will change lives permanently, so is the goal of writing or teaching for the glory of God. He is glorified by the fruit we bear when others grow in faith, knowledge, and understanding of the Triune God. This only happens when a person is confronted by Truth from God’s Word.
Great Answers
Would it be so bad to have for ourselves, or instill in our children, a bedrock understanding that Jesus and God are the answers to all of our questions? As we train ourselves, through the Word of God, to abide in Him, we will live His answers. Then, by His grace, we will be enabled and emboldened to speak His truth or write His answers, in our churches, in our homes, in our neighborhoods, and in our work places.
From God’s words, we can teach that “God” and “Jesus” are ultimately the answer to all of our questions –just as clearly as He is to three and four year olds in Sunday School classes everywhere.