“If you could have one superpower, what would it be?”
Last Friday, my friends and I debated this question. After I prosecuted the case that “flight” is a terrible choice (What can flying do for you that teleporting can’t? Answer me!), another friend argued for time-travel. Part of his reasoning was that a time-traveler could be present during the life of Jesus.
“That would be great. I would love to see everything Jesus did, ask Him questions—” I said.
“You can ask Him questions right now,” my friend replied.
“Ok,” I thought, “but when I pray and ask questions, at best, I get kinda-decipherable feelings hinting at what Jesus wants. If I could stand before Him, I’d get direct answers.”
What a dumb thought. In the Gospels, Jesus almost always answered questions elusively. Half the time He spoke in parables that left His listeners amazed, confused, and/or angered. Other times He said stuff like:
“Do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.”
“If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.”
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.”
I trust that all my readers know not to take those quotes literally. Discipleship does not require us to be de-limbed family-haters. Christ was trying to teach deeper truths: bear evils with patience, distance yourself from causes of sin, love God above all else. But applying those truths to your life is… confusing. (At what point should we no longer bear evils? What should we do about things that may cause sin, but also offer opportunities to do good? etc.) Following Jesus would have been easier had He left a full DIY guide. But He didn’t make mistakes. His ambiguity was deliberate. My guess is that He spoke that way because He wanted us to stretch our minds and imaginations to figure out what He meant. That He values our puzzling, reflecting, and striving after the meaning of His words.
What I’ve never realized is that Jesus answers prayer in the same, cryptic way, probably for the same reason.