Reading about Jesus or attempting to follow Jesus should end up raising consistent questions. Here are two that I find are always worth asking:
Where is he going? Jesus is always on the move. Both in the Gospels and in my own experience with him, he doesn’t sit still for long. He has a little bit of wanderlust. There’s always some new adventure, some new place to visit, some new people to encounter and minister to. So if I intend to follow him at all, it seems rather crucial to stay alert to where he is going. Sometimes his movements might be somewhat predictable, sometimes not.
What does he mean? Jesus often says puzzling things in puzzling ways. My take is that in general he’s not trying to be cryptic, but rather he’s trying to incite more questions and conversation. If I read the words of Jesus, or hear him speaking to me in prayer, and come away scratching my head, pondering questions and asking other people about what he might mean, I believe he is pleased. Maybe my persistent questioning, not my immediate understanding, is what he’s really excited about.
A disciple does two basic things: follow footsteps and question meaning.
