The Ultimate Question
Notes
Transcript
38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”
Focus: You are what you love and what/who is the love of your life?
Function: Challenge the listener to evaluate their life and refocus their life to have God be the object of their obsession.
Background story
Background story
John the Baptist see’s Jesus walking by
John the Baptist and Jesus are cousins
John the Baptist yells “Behold the Lamb of God”
The two disciples of John goes and starts following Jesus.
Jesus turns around and asks the question, “What do you want?”
The question
The question
Jesus asks “What do you want?” or “What do you seek?”
There are two levels of understanding to this question.
The straightforward - “Why are you following me? What do you want from me?”
The deeper - “What do you want in life?”
I believe this question is still resounding loudly to us from Jesus.
When Jesus asks questions
When Jesus asks questions
There are a few times in gospels where Jesus is seen asking questions to His followers.
When Jesus asks questions, it is not because He does not know the answer.
The purpose of Him questioning is for us to deeply think about and reflect on ourselves.
Matthew 16:15
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Jesus asks the disciples, “But who do you say that I am?”
He asked this questions to his inner twelve for them to think and reflect on why they were following Him.
John 6:67
67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?”
After Jesus taught His followers that they have to eat His flesh and drink His blood, many of them turned away and left
Then Jesus turns to the twelve and asks this question, “Do you want to go away as well?”
The deeper meaning of this question is, “Does my teaching offend you? The lifestyle that I am calling you to live, are you willing to take it on?”
The question still remains today
The question still remains today
The Lord is asking us this question today.
“What do you want?”
“What is the purpose of you living? What do you strive for?”
“What is goal of your life?”
When Jesus asked the question to His disciples in John 6:67, Peter responded John 6:68-69
68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.
69 “We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”
Jesus is the one who carried our burdens and hung on the cross for our sins. All because He loves us.
There is a grand narrative unfolding
Creation -> the fall -> choosing His people -> God incarnate and walked among humans -> death, resurrection, ascension -> 2nd coming, wedding feast -> new heaven, new earth, and eternal glory with God.
How much more will He give if we simply follow His footsteps?
So what do you want today? Tomorrow? For the rest of your life?