Listen to the audio of today’s Reflection:
https://soundcloud.com/hapearce/reflection-for-february-24-2023
John 1:35-42
John’s Disciples Follow Jesus
35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).42 And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).
This passage comes up in the lectionary for worship every three years, and in the daily lectionary every two years, and I just about always use it as the basis of a sermon or a Reflection when it does. That’s because I think it raises an important question that all of us who follow Jesus should ask ourselves from time to time. It seems especially appropriate during Lent, because the question it asks provokes the kind of reflection the season is meant to be all about.
You might remember that in yesterday’s reading, John the Baptist caught sight of Jesus, and pointed him out to his own disciples. John said Jesus was “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” John then told his disciples that he had seen the Spirit of God descend on Jesus in the form of a dove at his baptism.
In our reading for today, John the Baptist once again points out Jesus to two of his disciples, and this time the two leave John and begin to follow Jesus. As he notices the two men following him, Jesus turns and asks the question that seems so important to me. He asks them, “What do you want?”
Sometimes when people ask, ‘What do you want?’ what they really mean is, ‘Go away – you’re bothering me.’ But I don’t think that’s the sense of the question Jesus is asking here. It seems to me that when Jesus asked this question, he was really asking what the men were looking for in following him.
That’s why I say that people like us who consider ourselves followers of Jesus should ask ourselves the same question from time to time. And why I say it’s a particularly good question to ask ourselves during Lent. What are you looking for? What is it that you hope to get from immersing yourself in the teachings of Jesus, and from participating in the life and work of his church in the world?
Some people follow Jesus just looking for a little peace – for a break from the brutal demands of a world of work and schedules and obligations.
Other people are looking for a sense of worth – to be valued for themselves, instead of only as cogs in an economic system – as producers and consumers.
Some people are looking for stability – for a connection to the world of their youth – to a simpler world they shared on quiet Sunday mornings with their parents and grandparents.
Some people are looking for affirmation – for a place where others will be nice to them, a place to encounter some friendly faces once a week instead of the flat or hostile ones they run into day after day.
Some people are looking for forgiveness – to get rid of a sense of guilt. For reassurance that they’re really not terrible people – that their lives aren’t destined to be forever stained by the things they’re done and now regret.
There’s nothing wrong with any of these things. But if those things are all we’re looking for from our lives of faith, that’s kind of a shame. Because in calling us to follow his Son, God is offering us the chance to experience life in a new and vibrant way – to live more abundantly. God is inviting us to take part in a great adventure – the adventure of helping him to bring about his kingdom on earth. To learn things and experience things that let us see the world in new ways and experience joys that have nothing to do with material stuff and shallow pleasures.
We think of Lent as a season of reflection, but usually we just think of reflecting on our sins. That’s obviously important. But it seems to me that reflecting on what we’re looking for from our lives of faith is also important. So it’s probably good that this passage shows up in our readings for the beginning of the season, because it invites each of us to ask ourselves as we reflect on our lives as followers of Jesus: What am I looking for?
Let’s Pray. Lord, help us to see what it really is that we’re hoping to get from our relationship with you, and remind us day by day that we tend to expect too little – that you are eager to bless us more abundantly than we would think to ask. Open our hearts and minds to see your vision for us, and to embrace the abundant life you offer us in Jesus. Amen.
Have a great weekend, and worship God joyfully on Sunday!
Henry
(The other readings for today are Psalms 105 and 130; Deuteronomy 7:12-16; and Titus 2:1-15. Our readings come from the NIV Bible, as posted on Biblica.com, the website of the International Bible Society.)
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