Why

Why

Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God.

“WHY?”

There was a season in which that word was constantly on my toddler son’s lips, his quest for knowledge nearly insatiable. I loved his unending curiosity, and I tried to answer his questions accurately, even if it meant I, in turn, was constantly asking Google.

His whys had me viewing the world through fresh eyes, reawakening my own curiosity about things I had taken for granted, allowing them to simply be in the background of my life. I learned more during the season of Jonny’s incessant questioning than I’d learned in years as I looked up answers to all the things I did not know.

Jonny’s curiosity got me thinking about what other things I’ve simply accepted at face value, including Scripture. I’ve started reading the Word of God with “why” on my lips. Why did the heavenly host appear to shepherds that night Jesus was born? Why was Mary the first person Jesus encountered upon arising from his grave—a woman tasked with carrying arguably the most important message in the history of the world back to the men? Why did Jesus make the parable of the Good Samaritan about a Samaritan, rather than another people group? As I dug for the answers to these questions, I marveled afresh at the goodness, the love of God for the underdogs of society.

Scripture has layers of cultural context woven throughout its stories and word choices immediately understood by those who saw Jesus and heard his words that add depth, clarity, and nuance mostly lost to us unless we go digging. Unfortunately for us, those nuances are lost unless we read with “why” in mind, with our curiosity piqued and primed to understand more. When we seek out contextual clues, we find a deeper understanding of God embedded in the verses and stories we’ve heard or read at surface value a multitude of times, additional insights into his character, a new perspective on how we should be living our lives as followers of Christ.

Lord, restore our curiosity. Help us to ask why, to dig deeper into your parables and analogies, to look for the cultural context in Scripture. Give us fresh insight on who you are. Amen.

-Julie

One Good Step: Start reading Scripture with “why” on your lips. Seek out answers in trusted commentaries and from trusted sources.