The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, He said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” (John 1:35-39 NRS)
No biblical story better describes the present need of too much of the Church.
Andrew and John were hungry for a move of God. Their nation was birthed as a nation under God. Their history included times when they conquered their enemies and were known for their wealth and wisdom. But those days were gone.
The nation had moved further and further from God. Now the people were in bondage, and there had not been a prophet in Israel for four hundred years.
Then came John the Baptist, the greatest preacher anyone had ever heard, with a potent two-part message.
The first part was, “Repent!” Turn away from your sin and back to God. Stop the greed, deceit, and sexual immorality. If you are a nation under God, start acting godly.
It was a word desperately needed to deal with how far the culture had fallen. Ring a bell?
The second part was “The Kingdom of God is near”, a word also desperately needed to deal with how far the people’s hope had fallen. The Lord was coming to restore God’s rule in the land. Finally, righteousness could prevail.
Strong words of both conviction and hope! Thousands came to the Jordan River to be baptized, including Andrew and John, who became two of the Baptist’s disciples.
Then another man showed up at the river – Jesus from Nazareth. He came to be baptized by John, and after Jesus left, John declared to the people who this Jesus was.
“I’m not fit to tie His shoes. When He was baptized, heaven opened. God called Him His beloved Son. The Holy Spirit landed on Him like a dove. This is the Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He will baptize not with water, but with Holy Spirit and fire.”
The next day, when John the Baptist directed the attention of Andrew and John toward Jesus, the two young men left the Baptist and became the first two people to follow Jesus. When He saw them, Jesus asked them a simple but profound question: “What are you looking for?”
This is a question all of us need to ask ourselves. What are we looking for in our lives, our relationship with God, and our communities of faith?
Remember what Andrew and John already had with the Baptist: a great preacher who spoke of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; who preached the need to repent, be baptized and live a moral, honest life; who taught there would be a Judgment Day, but that Jesus is the Savior who can cleanse us from our sins.
Doesn’t that sound exactly like what most people embrace in our bible-believing churches today? Yet Andrew and John left that because they wanted and needed more. Do you want more? Isn’t it clear our nation needs more?
Andrew and John responded to Jesus with their own question: “Where are you staying?” This question was also profound. The Greek word for “staying” is “meno”, which means “stay”, “abide” or “remain”. When Jesus responded, “Come and see”, He wasn’t just talking about where He slept.
Jesus always remained in the presence and rule of His heavenly Father. He therefore “stayed” in the Kingdom of God wherever He went. He was going to show them the Kingdom moving on the earth: loving people unconditionally, healing the sick, delivering the demonized, raising the dead, stopping the storm, walking on water, and humbly revealing both the heart of the Father and who people made in the image of God can become. (1 John 2:3-6)
Andrew and John would “come and see” all of that. Then three years later, soon after the Lamb of God paid the price for our sins, they would, along with 118 other disciples, “come and see” what John the Baptist had promised in the very beginning. In an upper room on Pentecost, they were all baptized in the Holy Spirit – immersed in the abiding presence, power, and love of God. Now it was their turn to be the Kingdom of God lovingly and powerfully moving on the earth, revealing to the world who God really is and who we all are designed to become.
My fellow Christians, we must follow Jesus, not John the Baptist. It is time to come into the baptism of Holy Spirit and, filled with God’s love, see the Kingdom move on this earth again. (Romans 5:5, 14:17; 1 Corinthians 4:20)
God bless you, and God bless our community.