God's Last Words

“WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR”

John 1: 29-42 NRSV

 

This message is more a thought provoker meant to get you thinking a little bit about how Jesus called His disciples.

 

What does it mean to be a member, follower, adherent, disciple, associate, affiliate, partner, constituent, or component of an organization, interest group, or group of people with a common identity, cause, or need?

 

An international Evangelism Fellowship group estimates that there are about 16,000 distinct ethnic human “Gospel” groups in the world. They are distinguished by groups of people that have no barriers to communion within their group.

 

You can be community minded as a volunteer fireman, be a member of the Lion’s Club, volunteer to pick-up trash, support a political party, join Sam’s Club, or just be a member of your local church in good standing.

 

You can be recruited, self identified, volunteer, or be forced into a group such as the heart zipper (bypass) club many of you are a member of.

 

You can joyfully participate, resist, or even adamantly deny your membership.

 

But in the end, most people join or participate because it meets some kind of need or desire. We should always ask ourselves “What are we looking for?” in order to determine what to do and where to go.

 

(Some of us in the modern church have never had the opportunity to ask that question of church because we were born into it and will never attend another church in our life.)

 

Listen to our Gospel Lesson for today from John, Chapter1, verses 29-42:

 

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, "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.'  I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel."

 

And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'

 

 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God."

 

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."

 

They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon.

 

One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed).

 

He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).

 

This story picks up shortly after Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River.

 

Jesus is in the process of beginning His ministry and He is gathering disciples. Jesus identified and called His disciples into service. We feel He still does.

 

I recently saw a “Biblical Secrets” show on the History Channel that said Jesus wouldn’t have had much trouble finding followers because there were a lot of unattached men wandering around the Sea of Galilee, out of work, and looking for someone to free them from Roman occupation.

 

To these people, Jesus’ recruitment success, apparently, was due more to a desire for revolution and political intrigue, than a call to spirituality and ministry. 

 

I’m sorry but I reject that point of view. Sometimes we are so jaded by the times we live that we place agendas in the minds of historical figures that are fairly ludicrous.  Many churches and denominations are projecting social issues into the Gospel because justice and civil rights issues sell papers and fill some pews.

 

The men who would become disciples may have had a degree of discomfort with the government but that’s not reflected anywhere in the Biblical texts. They were more concerned with fellowship, relationship issues, and remaining in good standing in the Jewish Temple.

 

These were men who were involved with John the Baptist, or active in their local synagogues. They were hard workers and good citizens. Even Judas, had good work references.

 

The key to getting the handle on the calling of the disciples is one key verse: When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?"

 

I think Jesus was so special, so real and authentic, that he had answers that people wanted. He was a person who had the character, commitment, and love that people are looking for.

 

Jesus was fresh and different in His call to a more simplified Jewish faith, and that superficially captivated a lot of people.

 

What qualities is Jesus looking for in disciples? The same characteristics we should hold near and dear in church members. These are what He saw in the Disciples.

 

The first is integrity. If you can’t be honest with yourself Jesus isn’t where you want to be. You see we’re called to repentance; and if you can’t recognize and confess your sins, forget it.

 

The second is trust. If you’re not willing to trust God and others who trust God, then you will be wasting your time.

 

Third, you must have respect for authority, both for the church leaders around you, and a good old fashioned fear of God based on the knowledge of His Love. If you don’t, you’re spinning your wheels.

 

Fourth, you must be willing to commit to a search for competence. You have to study, understand, and apply God’s Word and Will to your life. Ignorance of God’s Will or Word will not prevent the consequences from happening.

Fifth, you should have a readiness to share knowledge and ideas with the people  around you and your family. You can’t hide your light under a bushel basket, as the song goes.

 

Sixth, and probably the most important aspect of being a disciple is accepting a

willingness to take responsibility that it just might be you who needs to do something, say something, or take on a job. You must lead, follow, or get out of the way, you can’t just sit there.

 

Seventh, you must develop a desire to be productive. Doing nothing to serve God should make you uneasy.

 

Eight, your productivity should be accomplished with enthusiasm, It’s the joy, hope, and love you have received from God’s Grace.

 

Ninth, and just a little harder, is setting and achieving goals and objectives of the church and/or ministry goals/plans, This follow through accentuates the use of resources. If the disciples hadn’t carried through after Jesus ascension – we wouldn’t have a church today.

 

Tenth, you need to sharpen and develop good interpersonal skills, in order to talk and interact with people in your faith and physical community.

 

Eleven and Twelve are the ability to listen and the desire to act on feedback-criticism to do better.

 

Jesus listened, communicated, taught, became an example, and cared for others.

 

Not only did He talk theory He lived His belief.

 

Remember John the Baptist watches Jesus walk by him – Jesus was involved and among the people and community. He wasn’t nor did He want to be a religious icon or figurehead, all things prohibited by Judaism.

 

We, as the embodiment of His church are called to do likewise. Amen.