A SAMPLE FROM WITNESSES
Discussion Guide Preview
See the exact questions included for “Whatever That Means,” the opening story in Witnesses: Nine Stories from the Margins of the Gospels.
Biblical ContextMatthew 3:13–17
HOW TO USE THIS SAMPLE
“No guide knows your group. You do.”
Follow the conversation where it goes. Skip questions that don’t land. Linger on the ones that do.
If a single question sustains forty-five minutes of real discussion, that is a success — let it.
The goal is not to complete the guide. The questions below are a beginning, not a boundary.
01 CONVERSATION GUIDE
Whatever That Means
A shorter starting point for relaxed, informal discussion.
Darius is eight and a half years old when he witnesses the baptism of Jesus.
- Why do you think the author chose a child to witness such an important event?
- Darius repeatedly says, “Whatever that means.” Is that a sign of confusion, humility, or wisdom?
- What moment in the story stayed with you after you finished reading?
Biblical ContextMatthew 3:13–17
02 READER’S DISCUSSION GUIDE
Whatever That Means
A deeper exploration of character, perception, and the Gospel account.
Darius, age eight and a half, accompanies his brother Mattias and cousin Yigal to the Jordan River and witnesses the baptism of Jesus. A few days before, he joined his friends throwing animal dung at a priest's ceremonial cape. He eats locusts that taste like pine nuts. He hears a voice from the sky that his cousin Yigal says sounds exactly like Uncle Shem.
- The author chose a child as the narrator for the baptism of Jesus — arguably the most formally significant moment in the Gospel narrative. What does a child see that an adult would not? What does a child miss?
- Yigal says the divine voice sounds like Uncle Shem. Is this a failure of perception or a success? What does it suggest about how we receive the extraordinary — by filtering it through the familiar?
- The story's title — Whatever That Means — is Darius's own phrase, his honest response to what he cannot categorize. Is whatever that means an inadequate response to the divine, or is it the most adequate response available to any of us?
- Darius is eight and a half, not eight or nine. Why do you think the author was precise about the half year? What does the half year add to our sense of who Darius is?
- Adults in the crowd weep or fall silent at the voice from the sky. Darius wonders what the voice means. Which response do you trust more?
Biblical ContextMatthew 3:13–17
NINE STORIES · TWO COMPLETE GUIDES
Continue the conversation.
The complete book includes discussion material for all nine stories.