This past Sunday we moved into
the New Testament for our Questions GOD
Asks Us message series. We explored the question Jesus asked of Andrew and
another disciple (possibly the Gospel writer John himself, writing in the third
person): What are you looking for? You
can read this entire story in John
1.35-42. If you missed the message, you can watch it by clicking here.
The background of this event is
that it takes place right at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. John the
Baptist had been baptizing people and calling them to repent because the
promised Messiah would soon burst onto the scene. When he saw Jesus, he pointed
to him calling him the Lamb of GOD. This prompted Andrew and the other disciple
to begin following Jesus. Jesus took note of the two trailing him, so he turned
and asked them, “What are you looking
for?”
Andrew had likely been listening
to John preach for a while, and like so many, Andrew was eagerly awaiting the
time when the promised Messiah would come and reestablish GOD’s Kingdom. When
he saw Jesus, I can only suppose that he was curious if Jesus was indeed the
one he had been eagerly awaiting. With excitement, and perhaps great
anticipation, Andrew began following Jesus. So when Jesus turned around and
asked him, What are you looking for?,
I can only imagine it caught him a bit off guard, so he answered, “I want to
see where you are staying.”
You probably know how this works
in real life. When you’re in an exchange with someone and want to talk about
something difficult, but aren’t really sure how to go about doing it, you might
either say you forgot what you wanted to say or say something simple and
unrelated. I think there is a possibility this is what Andrew did in response
to Jesus’ question. The good news is Jesus, who knew what was in Andrew’s heart,
didn’t bat an eyelash, but instead invited him to come along, walk with him,
and see.
This exchange provided Andrew an
opportunity to listen to his heart and process what he was indeed looking for.
Was it just that he wanted to see where Jesus was staying, or was he looking
for the one who he believed was going to change the world? And by offering the
invitation to come and follow, the relationship was initiated and Andrew would
never again be the same.
As we hear Jesus ask the same
question and ponder its significance for us, we, too, are given the opportunity
to answer and let Him know what it is we are seeking. Jesus really does want to know! What we must
come to grips with first, though, is we often don’t plumb the depths of our
hearts to know exactly how to answer. We might offer up a superficial answer
and stay at a surface level relationship with the Lord, but He knows what is
going on deep down within us anyway…He knows the yearning of our souls…He knows
the burning of our hearts. The journey we are invited to share with Him, then,
becomes one of self-discovery where we can experience the true essence of life
and our calling to be in relationship with Him. Sounds great, doesn’t it?
It does sound great, but
honestly, it is easier said than done. In reality, when Jesus calls us to walk
with Him, it often – if not always – calls us to something bigger than us, and
probably even scary! To follow Jesus means we have to be willing to sacrifice,
serve, and truly live in faith. This is put forth so clearly in Matthew 16.24
as Jesus said, “Then Jesus told
his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves
and take up their cross and follow me.’” Plumbing the depths of our
hearts means that we have to be willing to go beyond the surface level
relationship and superficial desires so we can – with His help – answer the
calling that characterizes the yearning of our soul and the burning of our
heart.
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