What are you looking for?

Reflections

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In John 1.29-42 (this week’s Revised Common Lectionary Gospel) we encounter John the Baptist’s actions and reflections following Jesus’ baptism. When John saw Jesus coming toward him, he exclaimed, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’” John then goes on to say he did not know him, but now realizes his ministry of baptism was for the purpose of revealing the Lamb of God to Israel. John then testifies to having seen the Spirit of God descend from heaven and light upon Jesus and tells us the one who sent him to baptize with water told him this one would baptize with the Holy Spirit. John then says, “And I myself have testified that this is the Son of God.”

John then tells us, the next day, while John the Baptist was standing with two of his disciples, Jesus walked by and John exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” Upon hearing this, the two disciples followed Jesus. When Jesus realized they were following him, he turned and asked, “What are you looking for?” The disciples evaded Jesus’ question, but asked, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” Jesus took them to the place, and they remained with him that day. John tells us one of them, Andrew, sought out his brother, Simon, and shared that they had found the Messiah. When Andrew brought Simon to Jesus, Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John. You are to be called Cephas (which is translated Peter).” I once heard a sermon by Clarence Jordan who commented on this as follows: Simon, son of John, can be rendered as “Johnson” and Cephas is Aramaic for “rock;” hence, Peter would be known as “Rock Johnson.”

Jesus’ question confronts us: “What are you looking for?” Indeed, what are we looking for? That might result in numerous answers – a good job, a new car, success, etc. These are more superficial answers. If we go deep, if we consider this question from our deepest existential yearnings, I think most of us would say, “For acceptance, for love, for belonging.”

Although Andrew and the other disciple did not answer Jesus’ question with words, they may have done so with their actions. They followed Jesus and spent time with him – I suspect, in this rabbi’s words and actions, they found the acceptance and love that is universally sought, and this changed their lives. Isn’t it interesting that Jesus did not tell the disciples they could follow him once they changed?

He called them, loved them, accepted them, and change followed. Jesus still calls us – will we choose to follow him, to spend time with him, and to be transformed?