John 1:35-39: a reflection

35Again, the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples, 36and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, being interpreted, Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour.

John the Baptist points two of his disciples to Jesus, Behold, the Lamb of God, and they begin to follow him. Jesus turns and asks them the first words he speaks to a would-be follower in this Gospel: What are you seeking? They ask where he is staying, and he answers with an invitation: Come and see. They come, they see, and they stay with him that day.

Notice Jesus' opening question: What are you seeking? It is a probing question, aimed not at information but at the heart, at what they truly wanted. Jesus meets seekers by asking what they are really after, drawing out their deepest desire. And notice his invitation: not a lecture, not a set of conditions, but Come and see. He invites them simply to come, to draw near, to experience him for themselves, and they end up spending the day with him.

Both the question and the invitation are for us. Jesus still asks, What are you seeking? It is worth answering honestly: what do you really want, underneath everything? And his invitation is still the same: Come and see. He does not demand that we have it all figured out first; he invites us to draw near and experience him, to spend time in his presence and discover who he is. If you are seeking, whatever you are seeking, hear his question and his invitation. Let him surface what your heart is truly after, and then simply come and see. Draw near to him, spend the day with him, and find what you are looking for.

Lord Jesus, your first words to those who followed you were a question, What are you seeking? and an invitation, Come and see. Surface in me what my heart is truly after, underneath everything. And help me take up your invitation, not waiting until I have it all figured out, but simply drawing near to experience you. Let me come and see, spend time in your presence, and find what I am looking for in you.