John 4:27: Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” (ESV)

Mark 9:31–32: [31] for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” [32] But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. (ESV)

There is some evidence in the Gospels that the disciples were nervous around Jesus, as though they were not sure what to make of Him. This is understandable. In the texts above, the disciples are clearly curious and have questions, but they do not ask. And because they do not ask the questions, they do not receive answers.

Curious Behavior Inspires Curious Questions

The way these two texts are framed does not explicitly state it, but they leave open the interpretation that Jesus wanted them to ask their questions. Speaking to the Samaritan woman was such a strange thing to find Him doing that it begs the question of what Jesus is up to. Similarly, referring to Himself in the third person and talking about dying is weird, but throw in the resurrection and it becomes staggering.

Why didn’t they ask? Mark’s Gospel tells us they were afraid to ask. John tells us that they marveled, which also implies wonder, but something kept their mouths shut.

It is common for students to have caught the idea that curiosity is bad, that it is somehow disrespectful, dishonorable, or shows weakness. I have perceived it many times in students, although the specific reasons seem to have varied. Oftentimes as children, students were told not to ask questions. There may have been good reason for this insofar as their respect and honor to the person in authority in the moment may have been lacking. However, we want to encourage students to ask whatever questions they may have. 

Questions are not just acceptable; they are essential. Questions are essential to learning. Even the most disinterested students have questions. What they often lack is confidence or trust in leaders to engage their questions with sincerity and interest. Many students seem to be in the habit of masking frustration with a veneer of disinterest. Small group leaders do well not to accept how students seem to be at first glance. People are hard to read and first impressions are often, if not almost always, wrong. 

Assume Students Are Already Curious

Students are curious. Small group leaders can breathe life into their curiosity by being willing to engage on any topic at any time with the students. The challenge is to demonstrate how the student’s questions can be turned to something profitable. They will often hit dead-ends. We need to show them the path to fruitful thinking. And that begins with questions.

So how do leaders inspire curiosity? One of the first things is to stop assuming students do not want to learn. All of them do, with only the rarest exceptions. It is common, however, for the areas of interest for students not to overlap with the subject matter of small groups. Students often think that they have heard everything there is to hear of any interest, or they gave up hope of anyone having the ability to say something interesting. Even if all of this reflects immaturity on their part, it does not mean that they are not curious or that they do not want to learn.

One solution to this is to surprise them. This, at the least, is what Jesus did with the disciples. They found Him talking with the Samaritan woman. Why would He do that? He had reasons they didn’t understand. He told them about His impending betrayal, execution, and resurrection. Why would He say that? He knew things they didn’t, and which went against their expectations. Small group leaders can say and do things that students are unlikely to understand. This doesn’t require that leaders manufacture anything. Genuine Christianity is scandalous, counter-cultural, striking, and provocative. All of these adjectives are friends to curiosity.

So, then, leaders don’t need to be boring. But Christianity is anything but boring. Again, this does not mean that leaders need to fabricate anything. Leaders avoid being boring by being genuine. Genuineness is difficult because we are so prone to act according to convention. Jesus did not do that in either of the two examples above. He said things that were unconventional and He did things that were unconventional. Of course, He did not do this all the time, but that is part of the genuineness of His actions. Leaders can do the same. Convention is not the goal of a godly Christian. Christlikeness is. Everything about that overarching principle challenges the worldview and life direction of students. If leaders can be self-aware enough to perceive where and why their outlook and choices are different from students, they will have an easier time picking questions and points of discussion that pique students’ curiosity. 

Be Curious to Inspire Curiosity

If leaders hope to inspire curiosity in students, they need to be curious themselves. Curiosity is often contagious. Leaders do not know everything. Only God does. There are always new connections to make, assumptions to challenge, and questions to be asked. Leaders can be an example to students of curiosity, and students will often follow suit.

In summary, inspiring curiosity in small groups does not require that leaders be bombastic, artificial, or unnecessarily controversial. Leaders should have a fundamentally better way of living life and growing in knowledge that students generally will be intrigued by. It is difficult for a group of people who can sense they are somewhat lost but not sure why not to be intrigued by the view of someone who really seems to know what they are doing and where they are going, and who look like they are living differently from the group. This is what leaders can offer. Inspire curiosity.