Have you ever visited a foreign land? Did you study in advance to know what to expect and find that it was valuable to know about local currency, language, customs, and gestures? You may not have the opportunity to travel the world that you live in, but one day you will travel to the world to come. You won’t find a tourist’s guide to heaven in your local bookstore, and even my word gives limited descriptions, but if you follow me now you will be ready for your trip.
Do you think you will have a life free from pain if you do the right things and are productive? Consider the Biblical lesson about pruning. Every branch that bears fruit is pruned that it may bring forth more fruit. This is a positive result in comparison to being cut down and cast in the fire, but it is still a painful process that no one looks forward to. Have you ever felt the snip of the pruning shears yourself?
Do you find that people are generally overconfident or underconfident? What about yourself? How would you know? Can you render objective judgment on this question? Perhaps it would help to rephrase the question. Do you normally think you are right? Do you know anyone who thinks they are wrong? Have you ever been certain of something and later found out that you were completely wrong? Could you even now hold equal certainty for something else that is wrong? It is better to hold wrong answers with a reduced degree of certainty. It can serve you to make room for mystery.
What do you do that makes you better? The first thoughts that come to mind may be activities that you enjoy, but are you a better person after you do them? Studying anything will make you smarter, and this can be helpful, but it doesn’t automatically make you better. Your friends may have a better perspective on this question than you do. Do they see a trajectory of improvement in your life? Deep and enduring changes are difficult to accomplish, but are facilitated by consent. Have you ever seen ‘self-improvement projects’ that had no effect other than solidifying egocentricity?
Are you protective of your children? With your age and stature and strength and experience you are aware of dangers and how to deal with them. Your children do not have these advantages and so you take on the role of their protector and give this task top priority. Do you see the parallel with me? For I am protective of my children as well. I issue strong warnings against anyone who would harm one of my little ones, for their (your) angels always behold the Father. How many times do I say this in different ways?
Do you like riddles? I posed one to my critics concerning an Old Testament passage about David and his Lord and his son, and they could not comprehend it. Do you think of me as the light of the world? But I said that you are the light of the world, like a city on the side of a hill. Can both of these be true? A city has many people, so you don’t have to assume that light resides in one person. If I am right, how should you then live? Don’t put your light under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that it may give light to all who see it.
Have you ever called down fire from heaven on anyone? Have you ever wanted to? Hopefully you know better, but my disciples did not. I declined and used the occasion as an opportunity to teach them. In another passage I talk about heaping coals of fire on the heads of your enemies. These may sound similar but they are not the same thing. This is a matter of loving your enemies; blessing and not cursing. Do you want to destroy your enemies or win them over?
Do you think that all faiths other than the one you practice are of the devil? What about the Jews? I lived in a time of great spiritual diversity and encountered people from a wide variety of faiths. How did I handle this situation? I did tell the woman at the well that her faith practice was wrong, but for the most part I commended both the faith and the good deeds of others even when I did not agree with their doctrine. I did have some strong words for the leaders of my own tradition., but when a man gave me a wise answer I said he was not far from the Kingdom of God.
What are you afraid of? Your culture offers sympathy to fearful people, but the Bible gives strong words against fear, linking it with unbelief and torment. You have heard of people being paralyzed by fear and have seen examples. Fear prevents people from taking the actions necessary to move ahead into their own future. So how do you deal with the unknown and with scary circumstances that require action? I know this is not easy, but you might find it helpful to realize that the greatest risk you face is the failure to show up and lead the life that I have set before you.
Do you make a distinction between natural and supernatural gifts from God? This is an artificial distinction and one that I do not make. For those who do it creates a two-tier hierarchy. Would you expect the ‘supernatural’ gifts to be more highly regarded among those who practice them? You don’t need yet another means to divide yourselves and confer honor and dishonor accordingly. When I walked among you what acts of service did I commend? I said that those who fed the hungry, visited those sick and in prison, and took in strangers were really doing it unto me.
