What Do You Seek?

What Do You Seek?

³⁶ And looking at Jesus as He walked, he (John) said, “Behold the Lamb of God! ³⁷ The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?”  John 1:36-38a

It is interesting that in Luke 2:49 Jesus asked virtually the same question to his parents, “Why did you seek me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?  It is clear that neither of his parents understood these words by Jesus.  I find it interesting that he spoke these words to his parents when he was coming of age at age 12 and then again at the opening of His earthly ministry when two disciples of John, decide to follow him. Jesus asked, “What do you seek.”  The English Standard Version states it just a little differently and perhaps I like the way it is stated there better, for it says, “What are you seeking?”

Therein lies the question placed before us all.  “What are you seeking?”  Take a good long look at yourself and ask yourself this hard question, “What are you seeking!?”

The disciples of John were pointed to Jesus and came expecting or seeking one thing, but they found something totally different.  There expectations and their preconceived ideas, even there training and education had taught them certain things, and they followed Jesus expecting that these questions and expectations would be answered and fulfilled.

All to often we follow for all the wrong reasons, for we follow political, entertainment or religious leaders expecting that they will give us the answers to our many questions, but we tend to gravitate to people that have similar ideas or opinions that we do.  Christ recognized in these first two disciples that they too had false ideas and understandings, that would need to be corrected.  They like all of us come before God, sometimes with totally different understanding than what is reality.  So, Christ’s first question to them and to us is, “What are you seeking,” Are you seeking fame and fortune? Sorry you are in the wrong place and seeking for the wrong reason.  Do you feel you have more than an adequate understanding of spiritual things? Oh, think again for that only means you are difficult to teach and equip for service.  Do you seek God for a reward that comes when Christ returns in clouds of glory?  Oh, once again go back and rethink the reason for your wanting to follow.

But if you are coming to truly learn of Him that who is the Lamb of God and are willing to become a disciple and in turn make more disciples, not after yourself, but after the Lamb, then as Jesus would later say, “take up your cross and follow Jesus and learn of Me.”