What are you seeking? Who is Jesus really.

[ByTheSpirit]

Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” (John 1:38)

This scripture has been sticking with me for some time and not one I hear an abundance of messages on. I don't plan on sharing such a thing here, just wanted to share a thought or two about what I get from this.

Why am I following Jesus? What am I seeking from Him? My life has been full of ups and downs, highs and lows. I think for a while I was seeking Him as a way of escape from the troubles in my life, and while Jesus does offer us rest from our troubles, I don't think I understood that fully. I've known people that followed Jesus because they believed He would give them riches. But what are we following Jesus for? What are we seeking?

The gospel of John is really all about this one question. It starts with a group of Pharisees seeking John and wanting to know if he was the Messiah. It shows intimate details about Jesus' life and ministry to help us understand who He was. More than the other 3 gospels for sure. The gospel of John recounts how large groups of people stopped following Jesus when He revealed hard truths that they didn't want to hear. He reveals Himself as God in multiple ways to give us all a complete understanding of who we follow, and hopefully help us understand why.

What we are seeking from Jesus is a very important question to identify, not just for ourselves but for others as well. I don't believe we have to know 100% in detail about Jesus in order to have the life and freedom He promised, but I do believe it's important to have an accurate idea of Jesus so we aren't led astray or led into error.

I dunno, kinda rambling at the moment. Just wanted to share something that has been rather consuming for a few weeks. I welcome any thoughts on the topic, or personal testimonies on the subject.

 

[Soyeong]

The Torah is God's way (Psalms 119:1-3), the Torah is truth (Psalms 119:142), the Torah is life (Deuteronomy 32:46-47), and the Torah is the way to know the Father (Exodus 33:13), the sum of God's word is truth (Psalms 119:160), and Jesus is God's word made flesh (John 1:14), so he is the living embodiment of the way, the truth, the life, and the way to know the Father (John 14:6-7), which is a life lived in sinless obedience to the Torah. The way to know the Father is through acting in accordance with His nature throuixg faith and the Son is the exact image of God's nature (Hebrews 1:3), so the way to be children of God is through parting in the divine nature in accordance with the example of obedience to the Torah that the Son set for us to follow. In Matthew 7:23, Jesus said that he would tell those who are worker of lawlessness to depart from him because he never knew them, so knowing the Father and the Son through partaking in the divine nature is goal of the Torah, which is eternal life (John 17:3), which is in accordance with the way that Jesus said to enter eternal life (Matthew 19:17, Luke 10:25-28), so that is who Jesus is and what we should be seeking through faith.

 

[ByTheSpirit]

The Torah is God's way (Psalms 119:1-3), the Torah is truth (Psalms 119:142), the Torah is life (Deuteronomy 32:46-47), and the Torah is the way to know the Father (Exodus 33:13), the sum of God's word is truth (Psalms 119:160), and Jesus is God's word made flesh (John 1:14), so he is the living embodiment of the way, the truth, the life, and the way to know the Father (John 14:6-7), which is a life lived in sinless obedience to the Torah. The way to know the Father is through acting in accordance with His nature throuixg faith and the Son is the exact image of God's nature (Hebrews 1:3), so the way to be children of God is through parting in the divine nature in accordance with the example of obedience to the Torah that the Son set for us to follow. In Matthew 7:23, Jesus said that he would tell those who are worker of lawlessness to depart from him because he never knew them, so knowing the Father and the Son through partaking in the divine nature is goal of the Torah, which is eternal life (John 17:3), which is in accordance with the way that Jesus said to enter eternal life (Matthew 19:17, Luke 10:25-28), so that is who Jesus is and what we should be seeking through faith.

If I'm understanding you properly, you're saying that living a sin free life is the only way to know the Father? Are you saying that we have to be sinless before we can know Him, or perhaps as we come to know Him better we begin to sin less?

 

[Soyeong]

If I'm understanding you properly, you're saying that living a sin free life is the only way to know the Father? Are you saying that we have to be sinless before we can know Him, or perhaps as we come to know Him better we begin to sin less?

I didn't say anything about needing to be sinless. The Hebrew word "yada" refers to intimate knowledge gained by experience, such as in Genesis 4:1, where Adam knew (yada) Eve, she conceived and gave birth to Cain. The Mosaic Covenant is often described in terms of being a marriage between God and Israel, such as with God describing Himself as a husband to her (Jeremiah 31:33), so the purpose of the Torah is to teach how to yada God, which is through experiencing His nature. In Exodus 33:13, Moses wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him His way that he might know Hm and Israel too, and in many verses like 1 Kings 2:1-3, God taught how to walk in His way through the Torah. God's way is the way in which He expresses assets of His nature, such as by doing righteousness and justice (Genesis 18:19), so when we do what is righteous and just, we are expressing, experiencing, loving, believing in, and testifying about God's righteousness and justice, which is the way to know God and Jesus, which again is eternal life (John 17:3), which is the whole point of the Bible.

Im Jeremiah 9:3 and 9:6, they did not know (yada) God and refused to know Him because in 9:13, they had forsaken the Torah, while in 9:24, those who know God know that He delights in practicing steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in all of the earth, so delighting in practicing these and other aspects of God's nature in obedience to the Torah is the way to know Him, and Jesus, who is the exact image of God's nature. In 1 John 2:4, those who say that they know Jesus, but don't obey him are liars, and in 1 John 3:4-6, those who continue to practice sin in transgression of the Torah have neither seen nor known him. So our obedience to the Torah is not about needing to be sinless, but about building a relationship with God by acting in accordance with His nature through faith, which is the way to eternal life. The way that we live testifies about what we believe to be true about the nature of who God is, so acting in accordance with Christ's nature is the is the way to believe in him, which is why he said that faith is one of the weightier matters of the Torah (Matthew 23:23).

 

[SavedByGrace3]

I think the passage says it.
Remember He asked "what" are you seeking?
And their response was "where" are you staying.
So technically the "what" they were seeking, was "where" he was staying.
And in His response to "where," he said "Come and see."
Which resulted in them following to see "where he was staying."

37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).

Peace

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” (John 1:38)

This scripture has been sticking with me for some time and not one I hear an abundance of messages on. I don't plan on sharing such a thing here, just wanted to share a thought or two about what I get from this.

Why am I following Jesus? What am I seeking from Him? My life has been full of ups and downs, highs and lows. I think for a while I was seeking Him as a way of escape from the troubles in my life, and while Jesus does offer us rest from our troubles, I don't think I understood that fully. I've known people that followed Jesus because they believed He would give them riches. But what are we following Jesus for? What are we seeking?

The gospel of John is really all about this one question. It starts with a group of Pharisees seeking John and wanting to know if he was the Messiah. It shows intimate details about Jesus' life and ministry to help us understand who He was. More than the other 3 gospels for sure. The gospel of John recounts how large groups of people stopped following Jesus when He revealed hard truths that they didn't want to hear. He reveals Himself as God in multiple ways to give us all a complete understanding of who we follow, and hopefully help us understand why.

What we are seeking from Jesus is a very important question to identify, not just for ourselves but for others as well. I don't believe we have to know 100% in detail about Jesus in order to have the life and freedom He promised, but I do believe it's important to have an accurate idea of Jesus so we aren't led astray or led into error.

I dunno, kinda rambling at the moment. Just wanted to share something that has been rather consuming for a few weeks. I welcome any thoughts on the topic, or personal testimonies on the subject.

The answer lies in what He seeks from us. He has already given us everything.
Blessings

 

[tturt]

"Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." (John 5:19)

For followers of Jesus "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." (John 14:23)

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Matt 22)

Even following these commandments can not be done without His constant help. He promises to be with us and guide us - we just have to submit and obey.

 

[jiminpa]

I'm seeking to grow in His love, in partnership, in family with Him, in discipleship, and anything that comes with it. I have financial security issues and tend to be far too greedy, but admire philanthropy, so I have serious repentance in order to grow into that. I want as much of God's heart as I can carry.

That's what I am seeking.

To be honest I got my eyes off of it and got lost in the thorny ground for decades.

 

[hislegacy]

On this side of the Cross, I am not seeking whom I already have, who lives in me, who is one spirit with me, who I know His voice.

Before the cross I was just plain lost, not knowing God, nor the power of His Salvation. I acted like a heaven - because I was a heathen.

It's like being married and laying in bed next to your wife wondering if she is there.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

On this side of the Cross, I am not seeking whom I already have, who lives in me, who is one spirit with me, who I know His voice.

Before the cross I was just plain lost, not knowing God, nor the power of His Salvation. I acted like a heaven - because I was a heathen.

It's like being married and laying in bed next to your wife wondering if she is there.

So true HL. Before the cross I was totally unaware of the true picture, and even if I saw it, I was completely incapable of joining to it.
The biggest and main difference was the new man that is now born into us. Because of this new man, I am now at least capable of both receiving God and obeying His will. We are new creatures in Christ! Amen!