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In the Gospel according to John, Jesus begins his ministry with a simple question, "What are you looking for?” (A better translation is actually, “What are you seeking?”) Jesus asks this question of two would-be disciples.

On the surface, yes, a fairly simple question. Yet the evangelist John never intends for things to be seen simply or at the surface level. The evangelist always intends that we dig down deep and, in this case, ask of ourselves the deeper intention of Jesus' question.

      What are you seeking…in your family? …your career?

      What do you want…from your friends?…your community?

      What are you seeking…through your church?

      What are you wanting from God?

      What is it that you need deep down in the core of your being?

      Whom are you seeking to be as a person?

      What are you seeking to find or experience out of life?

I think if we’re really honest with ourselves, we are all seeking answers to some or all of these questions. I imagine those two would-be disciples were too.

“Rabbi, Where are you staying?” they asked in response to Jesus question. That word staying is more literally translated abide, as in “Where are you abiding?” Abide has to be one of the evangelist John’s favorite words. At the conclusion of this segment of the Gospel, the evangelist informs us that the would-be disciples “remained (abided) with Jesus that day.” Later in John, the evangelist will report that Jesus said, “If you continue (abide) in my word, you are truly my disciples.” Notice, Jesus doesn’t say, “If you listen to my word, learn my word, think about my word…” More notably, he doesn’t say, “If you believe in my word” No, he says, “abide”, remain with, bewith. So, maybe in asking Jesus “Where are you staying?”, the would-be disciples are actually answering his opening question  by suggesting that what they are seeking is…him, to be with and abide with…Jesus

Apparently, at least to a certain degree, Jesus approves of this answer, because he does not ask his opening question again. Rather he simply says, “Come & See”.  As before, he doesn’t say, “come and listen” or “come and learn” or “come and believe.” No, he simply affirms their desire to come and abide with, remain with, be with him. He does so because, ultimately, that is what Jesus wants. He wants for them to be in community (or communion) with him, watch what he is doing, see how he is being, imitate his way of life.

Jesus answers his own question, “What are you seeking?”,  by modeling a way of being in the world, a way of living, a way that leads to abundant life. For Jesus, it’s not a matter of what happens to us when we die. Rather, it’s a matter of whether we ever get around to living now.

Jesus is answering all of our questions about who we are seeking to be as people, about what we are seeking to find or experience out of life by calling us would-be disciples to “Come and abide.” Come and imitate his way of being in the world and get around to truly living now.

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Photo by Benjamin Davies on Unsplash