I have a favourite word which forms one of the most revealing questions we could ever pose to someone. It’s not super sophisticated, in fact it’s a two year olds favourite phrase, but the answers it uncovers are incredible revealing.

Have you guessed it yet? It’s our old favourite……

Why?

What makes this word so amazing?

You see so often we are more focused on the ‘what’ or the ‘how’ rather than the ‘why’ but the why behind every what or how is actually the most helpful piece of information we can every glean. For example, we could bump into 5 different people all out for a walk in a public park. The reality is what they are doing will be the same, how they are doing it will roughly be the same to, but why they are doing it will be for radically different reasons. One of them might be walking to get some head space after a stressful time at work, another because they are trying to lose weight, the next one is doing as part of recovery after surgery, and the last two to help connect with each other. The ‘why’ makes the whole thing a whole lot more interesting that the what or the how on their own.

‘Why’ reveals our motivation. The reason(s) that we are doing something. ‘Why’ is powerful. It reveals our heart. A ‘why’ can turn what seems like virtuous ‘what’ into a selfish action and it has the same power to make what seems like a selfish action into a virtuous ‘what.’

That’s why I love the why.

If you’ve been following along in this blog you will know that I have been writing a lot about Jesus and His interactions with the religious leaders as He moves towards the end of His time on earth. Many of the Pharisees and religious leaders were very against Jesus even though what He was doing and the impact He was having was pretty incredible. When we see things like this we have to ask ‘why.’ Why were they so against Him? Why couldn’t they at least acknowledge publicly that what Jesus was doing was incredible, even if they disagreed with Him?

Today I came across another example of this opposition but along with the usual objections we see elsewhere in the gospels we hear a very clear ‘why’ the opposition was occurring from the writer. We find this in the book of John, chapter 11. This interaction comes just after the incredible miracle where Jesus’ friend Lazarus has been raised from the dead. As you can imagine that moment created quite a stir. Here was the reaction of the leaders – keep an eye out for the second verse which reveals their motivation.

Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation. John 11:47-48

Boom – there it is – their why.

Even though Rome was the ruling power of Israel, which no one liked, the Romans were pretty amicable towards the Jews and their customs. They gave the Jewish leaders certain privileges which meant they could get on with their usual business without too much intrusion. I’m guessing the Jews will have made some compromises in this arrangement but many of the leaders and the Pharisees had carved out a pretty comfortable life for themselves. It was therefore in their best interests not to rock the boat so they could keep their temple; a source of income, notoriety, (and of course worship), as well as keeping the country the way it was. Even if they did believe Jesus was the Messiah, or at least a prophet, it wasn’t in their best interests to acknowledge it because things may have changed quite rapidly for them. If people left the synagogue to follow Jesus the Romans wouldn’t see them as important and their privileges would likely disappear.

A pretty terrible reason to not believe in Jesus right?

A chapter later we read more of the reaction to Lazarus and Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. We read that there was great division amongst the Jews with some believing in Him and others rejecting Him. We then see another amazing ‘why’ moment in the midst of the decisions.

Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God. Luke 12:42-43

Did you catch that one? It was nearly worse than the first one!

There were those who truly did believe in Jesus, even those who were leaders, but they would never follow through with it because of the reasons given. The human cost was simply too high for them. I think this is ridiculous but it helps me understand a lot of what I see in the world today and it also leaves us with a very clear application for our own lives.

We all know where I’m going with this one.

What is our why?

All of us are living our lives in many ways. We have our jobs, our shopping, commutes, our interactions with others etc. We have rhythms, routines, and decisions we have made that affect our everyday. We also have moments of decision, fork in the road moments that come around every so often. Each of these ‘whats’ and ‘hows’ have a ‘why’ behind them whether we know it or not.

So, what is our why?

Do we do these things a certain way because that’s what everyone else does or perhaps what they would expect from us? Do we do them in that way because we are fearful of rejection or we are hoping we will impress someone? Or do we do what we do to prefer others, honour the Lord, or help someone in their everyday?

Only you, and me, know the answer to these questions individually.

Our why matters more than anything else in this world and my gentle encouragement is that we need to ensure that our why is based on what God would desire. Each ‘what’ and ‘how’ should be worship towards Him and no-one else.

Perhaps we should all do a bit of a recalibration of our everyday actions and ask ourselves why we do them and why we do them a certain way. Then, if we have any mid course corrections to make we have time to sort it out.

Off I go then…….