What do you seek

John the baptist directs two of his disciples to look at Jesus John 1:36. He doesn't want to keep them to himself he points out Jesus. The two disciples are immediately captivated by this man. They had been waiting and expecting him as they had been taught and when John said "Behold the Lamb of God!" they immediately left John and followed Jesus, there wasn't a debate, shall we, shan't we, they just followed.

What we see and what we subsequently learn when we follow will compel us to share and find others.  These two disciples had to first be willing to follow Jesus, who in turn engages them in conversation. God first wants the willing heart before He asks "what do you seek?" John 1:38. We don't have to have the doctrine all sorted out just the willingness to follow.

These two did not just stop at following and were not frightened off by Jesus turning around and asking  "what do you seek?" they engaged this man in conversation, they were intent on finding out more, intent on clarifying John's claim that this truly was the 'Lamb of God'. We all need to enquire and engage in conversation with Jesus otherwise we will never progress from being a disciple of a man (may be a good man who may even be a prophet) to being a disciple of Jesus. Andrew had recognised that Jesus was the Messiah not by being told but by engaging in conversation. We can only know that Jesus is the messiah by revelation not hear-say. We, like these two disciples need to ask "where are you staying?" We need to have a desire to spend time with this man to find out more. The very heart of God says "come and see". What an invitation, these two men were invited into the very place where Jesus was staying. The passage tells us that it was the tenth hour (about 2 hours before sunset) and they remained with him that day. John 1:39. It was in this time that they found out for themselves that what John had said and witnessed was actually true. John's story had become their story which was His (Jesus) story. The converstion changed their lives to the point that they had to tell somebody.


Andrew realised that he could not keep this new found discovery to himself and so set out to find his brother, Simon, and on finding him brings him to Jesus (John 1:41-42). I wonder how much time Andrew had to spend with Simon to get him to meet Jesus? The fact is that Simon was persuaded by his brother to come and see for himself. We can't make Christians of people but we can persuade them to come and see and allow the Holy Spirit to do the rest. Jesus saw Simon and changed his name. An encounter with Jesus will do this, the direction of our life will not be fishing to provide our maintenance but fishing for men for God's kingdom.

When asked the question "What do you seek?"  do we ask "where are you staying?" and on hearing "come and see" are we willing to follow the invitation. Does what we see and subsequently hear compel us to go and find others and bring them to Jesus?