When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. (John 1:37)
Sometimes I chuckle when I see how my English Bible translates a passage of Scripture. It can be challenging to properly capture the essence of the original Greek, hence why we have so many translations in print today. One such example is in John 1:38 when Andrew and John (the disciple) left John the Baptist to follow Jesus. The NASB renders the passage as follows: “Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’” Now, growing up as the youngest of four children I heard that question A LOT. “What do YOU want?” In other words, “Why on earth are YOU here? Go away!” That’s what it looks like Jesus is saying to these two who desire to follow him, but the reality couldn’t be more different.
This was not a reprimand for their boldness in intruding into his presence, nor was it an expression of disapproval (along the lines of what I frequently suffered as the youngest child). Rather, it should be understood more as an invitation, an opportunity for these two to consider what their needs truly were. The question Jesus posed to them is the same one we all have to ask ourselves when we seek to follow Christ: What is it that you’re after? What is it that you really want? Our answer should be their answer: “Where are you staying?” (v. 39) Jesus, we want to be where YOU are. YOU are what we want. We are here for YOU.
Our job as disciplers is to do what John the Baptist did: Direct the hearts of men and women to Jesus. He alone takes away the sins of the world. He alone matters.
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