How Curious Are You?

By Jim Faughn

    I suppose most of us have heard this expression: “Curiosity killed the cat.” I’m not really sure what that means, but I’ve heard it all my life. I think it has something to do with the idea that some things are better left alone.
    I recently read another quote about curiosity that caught my attention. While not as famous as the one about the cat, it may be more important. “The call of Moses started with the curiosity of Moses.” (Jesus in the Present Tense: The I Am Statements of Christ, by Warren Wiersbe, p.17) While Mr. Wiersbe and I would disagree on many things, I think he’s right about that. The conversation with God began after Moses became curious about the fact that there was a bush that was burning, “…yet it was not consumed” (Ex. 3:2).
    As I thought about this, I began thinking about some other instances in the Bible where curiosity led to something of great significance. I’m sure you can add to this list, but just a few examples would be:

• David’s curiosity about engaging Goliath in battle; 1 Sam. 17:26ff.
• A question about the residence of Jesus; John 1:38ff
• A Samaritan woman’s question about why Jesus was asking her for water; John 4:5ff.
• The same woman’s question about the proper place for worship; John 4:20ff.
• A young man’s question about what he might do to inherit eternal life; Matt. 19:16ff.
• The curiosity exhibited by those who didn’t understand the unusual occurrences on the Day of  Pentecost; Acts 2:7-12
• The question asked by those whose hearts had been affected by the sermon delivered by Peter and the other apostles on that occasion; Acts 2:37ff.

    As suggested earlier, that list is not exhaustive. Many other examples could be given. Unfortunately,
not all of them would be positive in nature. (Think of Eve and her curiosity about the fruit from a certain tree as one example.)
    Can you think of some ways in which curiosity could lead today to things of eternal significance in a
positive way? Maybe the following can be used as a springboard for your own thoughts:

• What could curiosity about the true facts about the origin of the universe lead to?
• What could curiosity about the “when does life begin” controversy lead to?
• What could curiosity about the church Jesus promised to build lead to (cf. Matt. 16:18)?
• What could curiosity about the Lord’s plan of salvation lead to?
• What could curiosity about “the ultimate question” (where will I spend eternity) lead to?

    What will curiosity lead to in your life? What are you curious about today?

- Jim Faughn, a retired preacher, serves as an elder for the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY.  He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.centralchurchofchrist.org