“The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 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?’ He said to them, ‘Come and you will see.’ So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
(John 1:35–39)
I need to slow down. I know it and have known it for years, yet I struggle to do it.
I don’t need to slow down for the sake of my physical or mental health, although both would no doubt benefit if I did. No, it is a spiritual matter. I do not take the time I should, or that I need, to gaze on the beauty of Christ.
It is easy for our walk with Christ to start feeling like a to-do list. We tick off our Bible reading and prayer time, then get down to the chores and work of the day. But in these few verses, we see a different approach.
John was with two of his disciples when Jesus walked by, and he repeated his awestruck revelation that the long-promised Lamb of God was finally among them.
The disciples are rightly curious and followed Jesus, who asks them what they are seeking.
Their reply seems odd. They address Jesus respectfully as a teacher and ask where he is staying. Presumably from his answer, this is a polite way to ask him if they can spend time with him. He invites them to come with him, and they will see. Spending the rest of the day with him, they come to realise that he is the promised Messiah, the King God would send to lead and save his people (see verse 41).
To catch a glimpse of Jesus is to be intrigued. There has never been a man as wise, kind, good, and compelling. There has never been another man in whom we find all the fullness of God. To catch a glimpse of Jesus is like catching a glimpse of the sun after living your whole life underground. If you had dwelt in a cave since you were a child, the only light coming from fires and lanterns, hearing only rumours of the world above, can you imagine what it would be like to chance near an entrance to the cave and see sunlight pouring in?
We might not be able to fully grasp how strange it would seem, but we know what we would do. We would run towards the entrance and out of the cave into the glorious light. There we would bask and dance and shout and sing, drinking in the warmth and light with every inch of our bodies. We would not pop out and then get back into the cave to crack on with whatever work cave-dwellers do. We would linger in the sun for hours.
Of course we have work and chores, responsibilities and people who need us. I wish I was more reluctant to leave the Light, though. And more determined to keep close to him throughout the day. I wish I wanted to stay with Jesus like these disciples did. I reckon that is a wish to turn into a prayer.
And maybe then I too would do what they did next. For surely, once we have seen the Light, we want to drag our family and friends out of the cave to see what we have found?
Part 1: The Brilliance of the Light
Part 2: The Witness to the Light
Part 3: The People of the Light
Part 4: The Glory of the Light
