Steering Clear of 'Who' Questions
/If we hang around church long enough, certain questions are bound to arise. Chief among them are the “who” questions: “Who left the light on in the fellowship hall last night?” Who moved the roasting pans from the kitchen?” “Who told the youth minister she could take the kids bowling on Christmas Eve?” “Who picked the hymns for that worship service?” It is the voice of the “concerned” church member, the voice of authority speaking on behalf of the church in order to protect its interests. Most congregations feel blessed that someone cares, and is looking out for them.
The challenge for us is that most of the time “who” questions actually get in the way of growing as a congregation. They isolate us, divide us, set us over and against one another. Matthew tells us that when Jesus came to Jerusalem, he was drawing large crowds and generating a ton of interest. That’s when the Temple officials came and asked him the “who” question: “by whose authority are you doing these things?” In Jesus’ reply we have a template for what to do with all “who” questions: steer clear of them altogether. Far better for us is to identify what is the issue at hand, and fix it, and in the process keep our brother or sister as a friend!