What do you want?

This sermon has not been preached.

Reading Isaiah 49:1-7; John 1:29-42

Prayer

Father God, open our hearts as we gather. Teach us to seek Christ with honesty and courage, and to follow where he leads, just as those first disciples did. Amen.

Prologue

Since Christmas, we have been looking in different ways at the start of Jesus’ ministry. John starts by telling his readers who Jesus is, then we watch as that becomes clear to the people around him, or they avoid the truth. The other gospels tell about Jesus’ beginnings as stories of his birth and childhood, and how he was recognised.

Introduction

All the Gospels mention John the Baptist to a greater or lesser extent. This morning we see John doing the job he was sent to do. That was to point out the Messiah to the people. John has disciples of his own, they have come to him to repent and be baptised. The act of baptising is what is going to reveal to him who the messiah is. He has seen the spirit of God come down and remain on Jesus, so now he knows. John’s job now is to send people to Jesus. He is not to hang on to his disciples, but to pass them on.

Calling Disciples

We are used to Jesus calling the disciples, perhaps by walking past them and saying ‘follow me’. That isn’t how it always happens. Here we see the new disciples being told to follow Jesus.

Lamb of God / light for the Gentiles

They are told he is the Lamb of God. John has already explained that the Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world.

The title “Lamb of God” is found only in John.

I wonder if John’s disciples were aware of just how far that title went.

As we heard in the Isaiah reading:

“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

These were young men, with little eduction, so I doubt they would understand the enormity of what was happening. But like good disciples, they do as they are told and follow Jesus.

Follow

It’s quite difficult, I think, to get a proper picture of just what’s happening here.

They are at Bethany, on the other side of the Jordan. There are two Bethanys, so this is how this one is distinguished. John is there baptizing, so there are a lot of strangers about. People have come from far and wide to see him and be baptised, there are also a number of highly sceptical religious leaders. Jesus has also been baptised – that’s how John knows who He is.

These two are following Jesus, but it isn’t like someone following you down the High Street. The tone when you turn around and ask “What do you want?” is completely different. Their following is not creepy or threatening in any way.

What do you want?

Nevertheless, Jesus still has to turn around and ask them the question. “What do you want?”.

It seems a rather vague question. If I ask you, “What do you want?” I wonder how you’d respond.

“I want this sermon to end”

or perhaps it would be more philosophical

"I want peace of mind." or

“I want wars to stop”

Context

Without context, it’s difficult to know what I’m really asking. We all have so many different wants.

So let’s set some context to the question Jesus is asking. Firstly, remember that the two would be disciples have come to him at the direction of John the Baptist, so it is reasonable to assume that the context is within discipleship somehow.

Secondly, our translation does not help. The Greek word translated ‘want’, is more usually translated ‘seek’, which is true in most of the other places it is used in the NT, and also true of a lot of other translations of the Bible.

So, perhaps we can better understand the question as “What are you seeking?”, or “What are you looking for?”

If I was to ask you, “What are you seeking?”, I’m pretty sure that I’d get a very different answer. So, what are you seeking? – Think about that, while we hear what the two disciples said.

The Answer

If you thought the question was a bit vague, the answer will seem very odd indeed. They answer Jesus’ question with another question.

“Where are you staying?”

This is apparently a middle eastern way of saying that they want to get to know you better. So we might have said something like, “Can we be friends?”.

Although I don’t think I’ve said that to anyone since I was six.

What were they seeking?

It all begs the question, “What were they really seeking?” They had been followers of John, and therefore presumably baptised by him. So they understood that they needed to get right with God, and that was definitely something they were seeking.

The Messiah

Expecting the messiah and looking out for Him had become something of a national obsession with the Israelites at that time. They were desperate to get their country back from the Romans, as the oppression they perceived was getting worse and worse. For devout young men, this is also a priority.

Jesus invites them to where ever he is staying, and they spent some time with him. It’s 4pm, and the day, which starts and ends with sunset, is really nearly over. Sunset is around 5:30pm. I suppose talking with Jesus for an hour or an hour and a half is a pretty amazing experience.

Invite

Andrew was clearly impressed, so the next day he takes his brother Simon to meet the messiah. There is no evidence that Simon was one of John’s disciples, but judging by Andrew’s reaction, they were both looking for the messiah.

Simon → Peter

Jesus sees something in Simon, that he did not see in Andrew, and gives him the Aramaic name Cephas, which means Peter.

Our Seeking

Andrew, his friend and his brother were all wanting to find the messiah, but for those of us who have found Jesus already, there are also other things we can seek. If you haven’t found Jesus already, you may be seeking other things, that will ultimately lead you to Jesus.

Hidden, but not very well hidden around the church are six things that we might be seeking. If you could find them and bring them to me that would be very helpful.

Wisdom	James 1:5 — If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, … and it will be given to you.
Peace	Philippians 4:7 — “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Strength	Isaiah 40:31 — “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength…”
Love	1 John 4:7 — “Let us love one another, for love comes from God.”
Guidance	Psalm 32:8 — “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go
Protection	Psalm 91:2 — I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Closing Prayer

“Lord Jesus, you asked your would-be disciples ‘What do you want?’. Today, as your disciples, we want you to draw us ever closer to you. Grant us wisdom to discern your way, peace to steady our hearts, strength to follow faithfully, love that reflects your own, guidance for each step, and protection in all we face. Send us out as seekers who have been found by you. Amen.”