The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) - When Jesus Asks Questions

Episode Date: June 5, 2026

Jeff continues his discussion of Jesus the teacher, focusing on how Jesus creatively used questions to open encounters, honor people, and draw out faith without pressure or agenda. Jeff explains how simple questions can lead to meaningful dialogue about the Gospel. Email us with comments or questions at [e-mail]. Text “jeffcavins” to 33-777 to subscribe and get Jeff’s shownotes delivered straight to your email! Or visit https://media.ascensionpress.com/?s=&page=2&category%5B0%5D=Ascension%20Podcasts&category%5B1%5D=The%20Jeff%20Cavins%20Show for full shownotes!

This podcast is brought to you by Ascension. To discover even more free Catholic podcasts, videos, and resources, to help you live your faith every day, visit ascensionpress.com. Welcome to the Jeff Kaven Show, where we talk about the Bible, discipleship, and evangelization, putting it all together in living as activated disciples. This is show 485 when God asks questions. Well, thanks for joining me again. I'm Jeff Kavans, and good to have you once again. And if you joined me last week, you know that last week we started to talk about Jesus, the teacher. He is the model teacher. And it was just really exciting to talk about the various aspects of his methodology and teaching and what really made him such a good teacher. And we want to continue on with that today. So I think you could say this is part two.

of the two-part show, talking about Jesus, the teacher. If you do want the show notes, which today is quite rich, all you got to do is text my name, Jeff Kaven's one word, and text it to the number 3-3-777. If, for some reason, you were on the list and it's not working now, do it again. We'll get you on board. Sorry about that.

I think I have mentioned this quite a few times over the years, but there's really two aspects to Jesus that really caught my attention from the time that I was 18 on. And I've been walking with the Lord in a very deep way, I would say, in studying scripture and trying to become that disciple that he wants me to be. There's two aspects to it that really caught my attention. One, of course, is the divinity. He's one person, but he's divine. and then there is another aspect, and that is Jesus the human, the teacher, the wise man, the shepherd, all of that. And you can't separate Jesus into two people, but he is human and divine.

Both have aspects that deeply attract me. But I would also say that years ago it was when I really gained an understanding of Jesus, the man. and the methodologies that he used, which also we must consider that they're divine methodologies as well. He's not simply using human methodology to teach and that there's nothing divine about it. It's all together. So I don't think it's healthy to ever try to split all that up. But the side of the human teacher fascinates me. And as I read the scriptures every day and go deeper with him and do some reading, you know, some commentaries and some good books and material on life in the first century and some of the great authors from Hebrew

University and in Jerusalem and great teachers in the United States and around the world as well. I just am continually pulled into this and it's made the biggest difference in my life, nearly everything I teach in the last 40 years has really stemmed from this revelation of Jesus the rabbi and how he taught. Because once I know how he taught and I take notice of it, I can gain what he taught. But what he taught without how he taught it is a little bit more shallow to me at least. And I hope that you feel the same way and that you want to go. go deeper into the Word of God that way.

One of the things I've been thinking about for years is doing some kind of very intensive week where people can all get together in one place, the people who want to at least, and that we can do a very intensive time together of learning about Jesus, studying his methodology, and looking at the fruit of it. If you're interested in that, give me an email. If you think that's something that you might be interested in at some point. I'm just gauging at this point. But you can, the Jeff Kaven show at ascensionpress.com.

And we'll put the email in the show notes for you. Let's do that. Sometimes I get it wrong because I'm all focused on the show. So I'll put that email in there for you if you're interested in something like that. Well, last week, we were ending with what we called the attention-winning things that Jesus did as a teacher. Real quickly, he used his eyes. He initiated conversation. He asked questions. He invited companionship. He called people by name. He called for attention with words such as listen, truly, and behold. And those are some of the ways that he would gain people's attention.

The one I didn't mention last show was that he is also incredibly creative, very creative. Jesus doesn't use pressure tactics to batter down the walls of people's hearts or bulldoze his way into their hearts. Instead, he approaches each one carefully and creatively. Jesus used questions to open encounters. Will you give me a drink? Do you want to get well? John's baptism, where to come from? Jesus begins relationships, grants dignity to people, and even opens up closed minds with

simple questions. Very creative, actually. And so we're accustomed to telling rather than asking. You know, we get into a conversation with someone and we tell them what we want them to know rather than asking questions. But most people like to be asked before they're told, don't they? I know I do. I imagine you do as well. And Jesus sees people as too valuable to simply, get them told. You know, he sees them as valuable. They're real people. They're thinkers. They have imagination. They have experience. Engage in a conversation. You don't just simply tell people. He asks simple questions and let's each person think a bit. Marinate in what he is talking about as far as the subject. And I think that we make too many assumptions when we talk to people about the Lord

we make a lot of assumptions and sometimes we find out that we were completely wrong. Completely wrong. One of my daughters and Emily and I, we have this little game we do sometimes when we go to restaurants and that is that we, the waiter or waitress comes to the table and my daughter always loves to play this game. Okay, let's all create a story. Where is she from? Where is he from?

What's been their experience? What do you think they're doing in life right now? And so we each tell a quick story. and then I get to know the waiter or the waitress. I ask questions, which I'm going to demonstrate here today a little bit about Jesus. And sure enough, we were wrong. Way wrong. About three weeks ago, we did this at a couple of restaurants in Las Vegas.

We were out there watching Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton. And we were at some restaurants and, man, we missed the story. We didn't ask any questions. We just assumed what the story was, right? but assumptions can be dangerous. So I got a lot of stories I could tell you there, but I'm going to save that for another podcast. But this is what I want you to hear before the break. Jesus questions were people-oriented, not agenda-oriented.

Okay? A lot of times when we get into conversations with people, it isn't people-centered or people-oriented. It's agenda-oriented. We have an agenda. and our questions and our conversation seem to flow around that agenda with the purpose of that agenda being carried out. And the thing about it is, at least I do, I can notice that. Maybe you notice it as well. The people you're talking to will know if you have an agenda or if you are genuinely interested in them.

And that is Jesus the teacher. When we come back, we're going to talk about the 12 ways that Jesus used questions. You're listening to The Jeff Kaven Show. Someone shows up in your parish because they're being drawn towards the Catholic Church. Maybe they can't quite explain why, but something is pulling them. OCI could be the moment that changes everything for them, where a quiet curiosity becomes a real encounter with Jesus Christ. But the gap between how OCIA is and how it could be is real.

And the catechus leading it need more than a schedule. They need vision, tools, and a program that actually forms disciples. Invited, your journey into the Catholic Church is Ascension's new OCIA program. 28 lessons that walk participants through the Catholic faith with theological depth, personal warmth, and a focus on conversion, not just completion. Invited includes a participant guide that meets the seekers exactly where they are, a leader guide with catechus formation built right in. A trade book with questions and answers many newcomers might be afraid to ask

and a mass companion book to help them participate in the mass actively, both interiorly and exteriorly. Our hope at Ascension is that invited will help make OCIA in your parish what it was always meant to be. A true journey into life with Christ. To learn more, visit ascensionpress.com slash invited. All right, welcome back.

We're talking about when God asks questions, we need to listen and we need to answer, right? So questions lay at the very heart of the teaching methods of Jesus. The four Gospels record more than 100 questions asked by him. Jesus' questions were not merely to obtain information. They served literally a variety of purposes. So let me give you a couple of examples, okay? And this is for my own life. And a single question opened up an entire conversation with a guy at the Mall of America.

My wife and I went out to the Mall of America. What was it? About a week and a half ago. And we had to return something. I can't remember what it was, but we had to return something. Oh, it was a pair of pants. And we decided before the store opened up to go over to Caribou Coffee and get a cup of coffee and wait. So we did. And we sat down on this, along this railing. And Emily was to my left. And then

this man walked in. He's probably in the early 70s. And he sat down next to Emily. And he, we acted like we're going to move a little bit. He goes, no, no, no, it's okay. You're fine. Just right there. And so I'm looking at him, look like an interesting guy. And I said what I typically say. I did what I typically do. who I engaged in a conversation with them. You know, I've always said, you can talk to anybody anywhere anytime. You really can. If there was a game show that you had to talk to someone anywhere anytime,

I'd win it. Because I find it to be the easiest thing to do. But the reason it's easy is that I'm following Jesus. And he's the king of questions. He opens up conversations with questions. So I looked at the guy and he kind of smiled and I smiled back and I said, Hey, I'm Jeff. This is Emily.

What's your name? And he told me his name and I said, what's your story? That's all I said. What's your story? You know what he did? He told me the whole story. He said, well, that's an interesting question. And he said, well, and he went back to when he was a child and he was at five different

diseases that he was battling as a child, and it ended up in brain damage. And as a result of that, he said, I've struggled all my life for work, and I've always found myself in a janitorial position or some kind of food prep position, not because there's no dignity there, not because those are bad, but he said that was what I felt most comfortable doing. And he told me his story, and I was able to talk to him about the Lord and in our story. And all it began with was, what's your name? tell me your story. Sometimes I told Emily, I said, you know, we live on this beautiful kind of pond lake. And there's a big walking path around it.

I said, I want to go out there and put a card table out there and get my recording equipment and just stop people and say, what's your name? Tell me your story. You'd be shocked at how people are willing to share their story and how interesting they are. And for today's purposes, how easy it is to talk about the gospel in Jesus Christ. I have a tattoo ministry. I don't know if I ever told you that. I don't have any tattoos, but I got a tattoo ministry.

What do I mean by that? Anybody I see with a tattoo on their arm, I just ask them, tell me about that. That's an interesting tattoo. What's that all about? They'll tell you. I have yet to have one person tell me that's none of your business. Every one of them has enthusiastically told me the story. So you get the idea.

Let's go into what Jesus did, okay? Now, he used questions, and I'll put these in the show notes for you, and this is not an exhaustive list. This isn't a deep, deep list. It's just an idea. These are some examples, and I'm going to leave it to you to marinate in it and think about how that might fit into your life as well. Okay? So, number one, some questions stimulated interest. That's all it did.

It's stimulated interest and formed a point of contact, like he asked the disciples in Matthew 1613. Who do people say the son of man is? Oh, that's an interesting question. The son of man, of course, was the Messiah from Daniel chapter 7 and Ezekiel. So he says, who do they say the son of man is? And then they started to answer. Well, some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, Jeremiah, one of the prophets, you know. And then he asks the second question, but who do you say I am?

So in two questions there, he narrowed down the popular opinion and wanted to know if the disciples were going along with the popular opinion, or did they figure out that Jesus himself was the son of man? So he stimulated interest and formed a point of contact. Number two, some questions helped his pupils clarify their thinking, their own thinking. Okay. So for example, in Mark chapter 10, in verse 3, Jesus speaks to his audience and he clarifies their thinking and says, what did Moses command you? What did Moses command you?

So what is he doing by asking that question? Well, he's not just freely offering up the answer. He wants him to think. So he asked him a question. What did Moses command you? Now, that's going to call on them to marshal their reasoning ability and their memory and to go back and think, what did Moses command us? Right?

So he could have just said, this is the truth and told them, you know, or instead of asking the disciples in question number one, who do people say the son of man is, he could have said, I'll tell you who they think the son of man is. But he was in a conversation. Number three, some questions expressed in emotion, such as, say, disgust or amazement.

That was one that he was amazed several times. And so, for example, in Matthew 1234, he responds to the Pharisees, which he's had some difficulties with, how can you being evil speak what is good? So he's using the question and expressed in emotions such as disgust or amazed. He's amazed. How can you being evil speak what is good? Right? Number four, some questions introduced in illustration.

And boy, we need illustrations. don't we? Especially when it comes to the faith, and especially when it comes to describing Catholicism, which is filled with so much meta-language. We need illustrations. Illustrate that for me. Give me an example. Right? So some questions introduced in an illustration. For example, Luke 11, 5 and 6. Jesus is going to talk to them and says, suppose one of you shall have a friend. Suppose one of you should have a friend. And then he goes into this marvelous teaching. And of course, that's that teaching when he says, which of you has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, friend, lend me three loaves. Or a friend of mine has

arrived on a journey and I have nothing set before him. So he's asking him a scenario type of question there. And he's drawing them into the story. Number five, some questions were used to emphasize a particular truth. Now, if you want to emphasize a particular truth or I do, oftentimes we just go straight to the truth and say it again. But he is trying to emphasize a truth here. In Matthew 16, 20, 6. Jesus asks, for what will a man be profited if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? You see there, he's emphasizing the importance of your soul, juxtaposed with gaining the world's riches. He's illustrating to you for what will a man be profited if he gains the whole world and then forfeits his soul. It's a question. And we can ask those types of questions. Number six, some questions help pupils apply the truth. They know the truth. It's been emphasized, but to apply the truth?

For instance, in Luke 1036, which of these three do you think prove to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robber's hands? Of course, this is the story, the classic story of the Good Samaritan. and he tells that story, and we know that it was a Samaritan, not the priest and the Levites that came to the man's aid. And so then he asks you, which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robber's hands? Well, they got the answer right for sure, which is also kind of a rhetorical question, and that is that, well, be the good neighbor then.

that's the what you should do but he uses questions to do it number seven some questions were to provide information for himself how many loaves do you have remember the feeding of the 5,000 Matthew 15 how many loaves do you have now I think that this question has kind of a dual purpose one he's looking for information did he know well he's God but he asks the question, how many loaves do you have? But I think it's also for their self-discovery, that they're going to notice not enough. They're going to notice it's a little.

They're going to notice that we're in trouble, inadequate. We just don't have it. Bank account low. And so that sets up the scenario perfectly. Let's move on to number eight. Number eight, some questions. helped establish a relationship between the teacher and the pupil. So he asked questions that help in establishing the relationship,

the contact, the interface. And what does he do? Do you remember in Luke chapter 8 in verse 45? Remember the woman with the issue of blood? She touched Jesus. In Luke chapter 8 in verse 45, Jesus said, Who touched me? Now the crowd was pressed around him.

The disciples are like, come again. I mean, the whole crowd is pushing around you, Lord. What do you mean, who touched me? It could be a number of a number between 10 and 20, maybe. But no, he's asking a specific question. Not who touched me physically. Who touched me? Some power went out from me.

It was a power that was going forth from me. Who was it? He knew who it was. He's God. But she didn't know that he knew it was her. Who touched me? Imagine her at that point? Talk about establishing a relationship.

A question. He didn't look around and say, you touched me. You're the one that reached out. He said, who touched me? He's giving her an opportunity to express her desire, her hope, and her need. Beautiful, beautiful, isn't it? Number nine, some questions were asked to rebuke or silence. his opposers.

We would say things inappropriately like shut up, that type of thing. But Jesus has a way of silencing his opposers when they need to be silenced. Like in Matthew 21, 25 through 27. Again, these are in the notes, the baptism of John. And this is when they're asking him. They're asking him. These are the scribes and the Pharisees. These are the big dogs around the temple.

They're the ones that have authority around there. They want to know where he thinks he gets his authority. So they ask him and he says, well, I'll answer. answer your question, if you answer my question. The baptism of John was from what source? Was it from heaven or just human? And answering Jesus, they said, because they knew if it was from John, then that would give real credence to Jesus' ministry. And if it was just from men, they would be upset because John's message and his ministry was supernatural. They loved him. So they were caught, handcuffed by a question. And Jesus said, the baptism of John was from what source?

And answering Jesus, they said, we do not know. Oh, that's brilliant. You got to love it. Number 10, some questions were rhetorical. They needed no answer. When Jesus said in Matthew 625 in the sermon on the Mount is not life more than food in the body than clothing? Didn't even need an answer. Rhetorical. Rhetorical meaning that it answers itself. Yeah. Okay, number 11, some questions were asked to bring conviction.

For example, in Mark 2.25, Jesus calls his audience to task by saying, have you never read? And he's speaking of the Old Testament. Have you never read? Now, once he says that, they're like, well, of course I've read. Well, then you'd know. And number 12, some questions are examinations. Examinations. John 21, 15 through 17.

Simon. He's talking to Peter here, Northern Shore, after he denied the Lord, after the death, burial, and resurrection. They go back up north to fish. Jesus is up there. Simon, son of John, do you love me? Yes, Lord, I love you. Feed my sheep.

Simon, son of John, do you love me? Yes, tend my lambs. Simon, son of John, do you love me? Lord, you know everything. You know I love you. And tend my sheep. Three times, he asked him. Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

said it was because he asked him three times because he had denied him three times, but even more because he healed his mother-in-law. That's a joke, okay? You don't need to write me about it. That's Holton Sheen's joke. Simon's son of John, do you love me? Finally, it gets almost to this frustrating point of, you know I love you.

All that emotion, all that conviction coming from Peter was brought out by a question. So let me wrap this up by saying we are Christ's representatives who have moved in on the block around people. And we are ambassadors. Paul talks about this in 2 Corinthians 520. And as ambassadors, I would suggest that we equip ourselves in a more complete way by learning to ask questions. It's always a good way, always a good way, to stimulate interest. to clarify thinking, to express an emotion, to introduce an illustration, to emphasize a truth, to apply the truth, to provide information, to establish a relationship, to silence opposers,

and also rhetorical questions, right, and questions that bring about conviction and examination questions that check the heart. All these are tools in Jesus' toolbox. of teaching, and they can become yours too in spreading the gospel. Shall we pray? In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen, Lord Jesus. Thank you. You are the master teacher. You are everything.

And God, you are a God who ask questions. And, Lord, I pray that we would learn to ask questions as we share the gospel and relate to each other and not be simply people with answers or statements, but that we are masters of conversation and we know where we're going with it to share the good news. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. God bless you. Love you.