January 24, 2023

What do You Seek?

“The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So, they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.”

John 1:36-39 (NASB)

This morning, as my wife was leaving for work, she noticed she didn’t have her heavy jacket. As she was pulling out of the driveway, she asked me if I would quickly find it. I asked her where she left the jacket. She said she didn’t remember. I went back into the house and looked in all the normal places. I could have given up at that point, but I didn’t. I began to think through where she was yesterday and began to seek it out. As I thought, search for it, I discovered it was in the other car she was driving yesterday. It took some seeking, not just a cursory canvas of the area. If the jacket was that important for her, it was worth seeking to find it.

“What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” This is a very intriguing question once you look at this passage closer. Jesus doesn’t ask them, “Whom are you seeking?” He asks them, “Not ‘whom,’ but ‘what purpose have you.’”[1] These are the first words of Jesus in John’s Gospel. Luke records a similar statement in his Gospel located in Luke 2:49 “And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” This story is recorded from Jesus’ childhood when He disappeared. His family couldn’t find Him. Note Jesus’ statements that probe the heart of the ones seeking Him, “Why is it that you were looking for me?” In each case, we see that Jesus is asking interrogatively. His inquiries are to address the intent of the person, not the location. He strikes these questions to determine why the person is joining Him or looking for Him. He asks the “what” question, rather than the “whom.” This is what seekers do.

Many are followers of Christ today, but are they truly seekers? Are they looking to join Him wherever He goes, but are they truly seekers? Are they wanting to know more about Him each day or just see Him? To determine what a genuine seeker is, we have to define it. A seeker (Greek-zēteō) in this passage is one who is: inquiring, made efforts, searching, striving, kept trying to obtain, deliberating, and demanding. This definition leads to more than just a proximity or cursory relationship that often people have with Christ. They want to be where they think He is, rather than being true seekers of Christ. To do this, each of us have to search out His truths, make effort, strive with Him daily, obtain more each day about Him, then deliberate on what we have discovered. Seekers ask the “what” questions, rather than the superficial “whom” questions.

Today, make your life a life of a seeker who is seeking something more about Jesus Christ each day. Don’t be happy with just knowing Christ is here and lives within you. Make effort, search His Word, strive with Him through the difficult days, deliberate on what His Word, and inquire from Him when you need guidance each day. Then tell others what He shared with you today. Since God doesn’t respond to all of us the same way each day, you will surely have a unique experience with Him today as you seek Him.

[1] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), Jn 1:38.