What do those edgy questions reveal about the other and about us?
I am thinking about the questions that challenge who we are. I am reminded of what is referred to as ‘The Temptations of Christ’. Two of them were questions and the other seemed to accept the truth of the questions.
- If you are the son of God
- If you worship me
- If you are the son of God
So we have the devil questioning Jesus on two counts yet in the second of the three temptations it is as if he has accepted that he is ‘The son of God’ the very thing he questions. In the second almost admitting that Jesus is who he said he was the devil wants him to acknowledge him and he is prepared to give away his kingdom to receive it.
It seems the devil although doing the tempting is revealing himself. He is revealing that he sees Jesus as a rival. Not only a rival but a threat to whatever status he believes he holds.
I think we do well to remember this when questions come that seek to undermine us. I am not talking about genuine questions or questions that seek the good I am talking about those questions that have an edge. The edge is usually that someone or something is unsettled by us. Not because we have done anything wrong but because there is something about us that unsettles them. Now truth be told we also know this experience and the sinners amongst us will admit that we know this and we have asked those questions with an edge. I think jealousy is revealed. Jealousy reveals that we have not accepted ourselves fully for if we had we would recognise the uniqueness of ourselves and the other.
The challenge for us is, does the insecurity revealed in the questions of the other reveal also the insecurity in us? So the question is not the question. The question is are we secure in who we are and despite what another may think or question we know our worth and need not demonstrate it.
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