From: Our Daily Journey With God
John 1:35-39 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by he said, "Look, the Lamb of God." When the two disciples heard him say this they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means teacher), "where are you staying?" "Come," he replied, "and you will see." So, they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.
In an evangelism class in church, the instructor asked: “How would you introduce Jesus to an unbeliever? Would you present Jesus as one who solves all our problems, or as one who gives us a healthy self-esteem and happiness?” Good questions!
When introducing Jesus to his two disciples, John the Baptist presents Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (1:29, 36). John reminds us that our basic problem is sin, and our basic need is salvation. Jesus died for our sins.
The disciples immediately followed Jesus (v.37). Jesus then asked them a simple question: “What do you want?” (v.38). Would you have asked Jesus for good health? A better job? A happier marriage? More money?
The disciples asked a rather strange question: “Where are you staying?” (v.38). They weren’t asking for Jesus’ place of residence. What they were actually saying was: We want to spend time with You. They were not seeking something for themselves. They were seeking Jesus Himself. Come and see. The two disciples spent the day with Jesus (v.39). They modeled for us the demands and privilege of discipleship—spending time with Jesus.
Often we miss the opportunity to spend time with our Savior because we’re seeking something other than His presence. Do we desire the Giver more than the gifts? We need to pray like Richard of Chichester: “O most merciful Redeemer, may I know Thee more clearly, love Thee more dearly, follow Thee more nearly, day by day.”
We need to be spending time with Jesus because we want to know Him intimately. We can’t possibly tell others about Him if we don’t really know Him.
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