1.10 Face to Face With the Question
Listen to the blog:
The inspiration behind this blog is rooted in two significant events that occurred in 2021 - the passing of my three-year-old granddaughter, Millie, and my loss of faith. The primary objective of this blog is to confront my genuine thoughts and beliefs. My secondary goal is to document this journey for my grandchildren and future generations, hoping it may benefit them someday. Please note that I do not aim to offend or persuade anyone but rather to express my thoughts aloud. This piece of writing serves as a combination of journaling exercise, therapy, and prayer. As a result, it may become abstract and, at other times, too personal to relate to, but my sincere hope is that it will be of assistance to you.
I used John's account of his friend Jesus to stimulate my thinking. I approached it with an open mind, imagining if Huck were telling the story of his friend Tom Sawyer. I hoped to gain insight into the timeless truth beyond my preconceptions. A full explanation is available in the introduction - 1.0 When Faith Becomes Collateral Damage.
In the previous section, 1.9 The Intersection, we saw how encountering John or any new piece of truth puts people at an intersection in their lives. This extended section will focus on the entrance of Jesus in the story.
After years of reading and teaching it, I discovered the life-changing impact of this scene just a year ago. It was spending time with it in my imagination that changed everything. Here, Jesus spoke his first words in John's story - a penetrating question.
Face to Face With a Life-Affirming Question
1:38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?”
As Larry Munson used to say, "Get the picture.” Jesus is walking along when he senses the presence of these two men stalking him. He stops, turns, looks directly into their eyes, and asks them a question that forever changes their lives. What a brilliant question! It's the question lying on the ocean floor of our hearts that must be surfaced before we can really start to live. It's the "spear tip" of transformation. “What are you looking for?” Literally, “What seek ye?”
“What are you looking for?” Literally, “What seek ye?”
Let's explore. It's a question, not a statement, signaling how Jesus taught. He used "shock and awe, “saying and doing things that caused people to think. It often rattled their present way of thinking, allowing answers to come from within them and changing their consciousness. Watch as we read John's Gospel and witness history’s most influential teacher.
When we practice solitude enough to discover the "presence" within us, the first clarifying question we will hear is, “What do you seek?" This is the sound of the soul's alarm clock, signaling the start of an awakening. The first reaction may be to hit "snooze," rollover, and settle back into the slumber of a comfortable life. DON’T!
It may come in other words, but the theme will always be, “What are you asking of life?” Getting clarity on this question’s answer makes all the difference. It has the power to transform each day from meaningless to meaningful. Clarity enables us to identify our next destination, put the "X" on the spot, and bring our vision into focus. It's the starting point for decoding our soul’s purpose. As the saying goes, “The time to have the map is before you enter the woods.”
Clarity Will Define Your Meaningful Life
Brendon Burchard defines clarity as “the child of careful thought and mindful experimentation. It comes from asking yourself questions continually and further refining your perspective on life.” In his book High-Performance Habits, Burchard advises," You have to have a vision for yourself in the future. You have to discern how you want to feel and what will be meaningful to you. Without those practices, you have nothing to dream of and strive for, no pop and zest in your daily life propelling you forward.” Below are three of his prompts to ignite our thinking about clarity:
The activities that I currently do that bring me the most meaning are ….
The activities or projects that I should stop doing because they are not bringing me any sense of meaning are …
If I were going to add new activities that bring me more meaning, the first ones I would add would be…
Looking back at the scripture, Jesus could have said, "Hi, I'm Jesus; who are you?” Instead, he led with this question that would bring clarity, the same one our inner voice wants to ask us now, "What are you looking for?
I believe it's the most important question you and I will ever answer. on the road to a meaningful life. Sit with this question and the above prompts for a few minutes and watch what happens.
“Clarity is the most important thing. I can compare clarity to pruning in gardening. You know, you need to be clear. If you are not clear, nothing is going to happen. You have to be clear. Then you have to be confident about your vision. And after that, you just have to put a lot of work in.”
The disciples, shocked and unsure of what to say, answered the question with a question. I first thought they were being casual or evasive until I spent more time imagining the scene. I now believe that their question is telegraphing the deep-rooted desire of their hearts.
1:38 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?” 39 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.
“Where are you staying?” is another way of saying, “We want to be wherever you are.” So, Jesus tests their sincerity with a "fish or cut bait" response, "Come and see.” At this point, I see Jesus in my imagination, turning back and walking. What could they do? Fish or cut bait, right? What did they do? Well, they were fisherman, weren’t they? They walked with him. They came, saw, and stayed.
Is There a Pattern to the Meaningful Life?
Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” and John is showing the pattern for the examined life, the meaningful life. To be meaningful, this life must be an unending journey, a continual search for the truth, and an examination of how to apply it to life. In doing so, we will repeat the above pattern. As Jesus did, a new insight will appear; it will briefly stop, look us in the eye, and invite us to follow by saying, "Come and see," before moving on. Like John and Andrew, I can (1) follow the new insight into my actions, see it produce grace and truth, and settle in to become part of my behavior, then character. Or (2) do nothing and watch it vanish in the distance. Our soul seeks this life – the continual search and application of truth. Why? Truth brings freedom and, with it, peace and joy.
Our soul seeks this life – the continual search and application of truth. Why? Truth brings freedom and, with it, peace and joy.
40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed).
We Were Born to Engage With and Share the Truth
In the form of Andrew, John gives us a beautiful display of human nature. When we discover something, our natural desire is to share it. We recommend good books, forward funny emails, and re-post all sorts of Facebook messages. It is no different when we find something that is true and works in our life. We naturally want others to experience it, too. Andrew had found something true, his “Messiah," the source of all truth, and had to share it. But please remember that the secret to successful sharing is - the right person at the right time. Andrew found both in his brother, Simon.
42 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).
On September 11, 2001, when I saw the towers fall, I remember thinking to myself, "Things will never be the same again." Some truths affect us the same way - causing a complete paradigm shift. Therefore, to signal this shift to a new way of life, a completely new life, Jesus gave Simon a new name. This new name, Peter, would be his constant reminder, like a tattoo. As we begin this new life of following our inner voice instead of the outer stimulations, we will experience a similar shift and may need to make some changes as a constant reminder.
This name change is a warning signal for Peter and us. The call from deep within us is not a new habit that we add to our old life but a call to a new way of living. The call is “to follow,” to be a participant in our own life and no longer merely a spectator. This is key! I can listen for my inner voice, talk about it, and write about it, but until I follow it, nothing changes.
“Change does not come through inspiration or information, though both are important. Change comes through engagement in a relationship.”
In Training for Your Unique Meaningful Life
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”
Jesus’ teaching style is one part explanation and two parts demonstration. I learned in business that “teaching information” could be done with an email or memo, but “teaching a skill” required in-person training. I could say that Jesus was one part lecturer and two parts trainer. By "follow me," Jesus meant for Philip to go into training: “Come with me, watch what I do, do as I do, and become as I have become.” That is the true essence of a disciple, an apprentice, and a follower. However, Jesus did not try to “sell" Philip on a new idea but instead wanted him to see a “new way of living” in action, try it, and decide for himself. The same is true for us.
It's important to note that Jesus was not asking his followers to become a carbon copy of him and live his life but to learn from him and make their unique lives meaningful. Following your internal voice should never turn you into a copy of anyone else, but make you a better, more meaningful version of yourself with your unique gifts and talents.
Don’t Force any Doors Open
44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
Phillip, Andrew, Peter, and Nathanael (whom we’ll meet next time) lived in Bethsaida. Why does John want us to know this? Could "something in the air" have caused them to anticipate change, a“crack in the door” of their consciousness? Could this be an area where others have an elevated consciousness and are willing to entertain new ideas?
As Leonard Cohen sang,
"Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in."
Perhaps John wanted us to see that Jesus went where the cracks were. If you try to force a “new way of thinking” where there are no cracks, people get defensive, dig in, and resist. (for example, civil rights in the 1960s).
Key Takeaways
Instead of focusing on spreading a particular lifestyle, I should concentrate on perfecting it through consistent practice. I need to put it to the test, prove its worth, and become a role model. As Descartes said, “To know what people really think, pay regard to what they do, rather than what they say.”
Jesus taught us to love our neighbors, not try to change them. Therefore, I should focus on living my life and be sensitive to those coming Face to Face with life’s most meaningful question - “What are you seeking?”.
Have you ever met someone and said the wrong thing immediately? We will meet Nathanael in the next section and hear his ill-suited reaction and how Jesus responds to his skepticism.
