What are You Seeking?

Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them,

“What are you seeking?” John 1:38

We’re all seekers. At our very core each of us has a deep, profound yearning for something beyond ourselves. It drives us, it propels us, it motivates us, and it sometimes causes us to do some very stupid things. And all of this is done because we are seeking something.

What are you seeking?

Seeking is the fruit of our being spiritual. Because we are multi-dimensional, because we are body, soul and spirit, we are not content to just pursue physical sustenance. We want intellectual and emotional stimuli. And we want, ultimately, to be spiritually fulfilled. We long for a spiritual interaction that will satisfy the deep hunger in our soul. Thus, we seek.

What are you seeking?

Now bear in mind that we are not all fully aware of this spiritual drive. We often mistake our need for spiritual interaction for a need for more physical comfort, and so we throw more nice stuff at our souls. That just makes us hungrier. Sometimes we mistake the spiritual hunger as a need for sex. Our culture tells us today that sex is the key to happiness, and so we pursue more sex in the hopes of finding that deep, soul-needs solution. Some of us think adrenaline is what we need, so we fill our lives with as much adventure, risk and danger as we can muster. We end up spending lots of money and time, and sometimes hurting ourselves or others, in the name of a short-lived adrenaline rush. And it still doesn’t satisfy.

What are you seeking?

So that makes this question of Jesus all the more profound. He noticed that some of John the Baptist’s disciples had left John’s ranks and were following him. Jesus turned and confronted them about their motives: What are you seeking? It’s a great question, and one that John’s disciples weren’t expecting. They fumbled around for an answer and finally came up with, “We want to see where you’re staying.” That was a good, safe response, and not totally untrue. In short, they were investigating Jesus. Checking out where he lived was just part of the process. But in reality, they were wondering what Jesus was all about.

Jesus’ question was for their benefit, not his. Jesus wanted these seekers to think about what it was they were really looking for.

Jesus wants you to stop and think about what you’re really after. He wants you to come to the sobering realization that what you seek can’t be found in stuff, sex, thrills, intellectual or emotional stimuli, or anything else.

That’s why so many people look at Jesus and then walk away: He’s not offering what they think they need.

So Jesus asks us, What are you seeking? The question gets to the heart of every seeker. It forces you to examine the motives and hopes of your great search. And, it helps direct you to what you really need. Let me say that differently: It helps direct you to Whom you really need—Jesus.

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