Hello friends,
This is Mark Ludman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighborhood monk in docs,
Welcoming you to this special Lectio Divina series,
Which will be centered around the questions that Jesus asked.
Now in the Gospel of John,
The first words spoken by Jesus aren't an announcement,
And they're not a teaching,
They're not even an invitation.
They're a question.
He asks,
What are you looking for?
Two disciples have begun to follow him.
They're curious,
Maybe even cautious.
They've heard the testimony of John the Baptist,
And something in them has stirred.
They're a little bit restless,
And maybe a bit hopeful as well.
So they follow.
And as they do,
Jesus turns,
And before he tells them anything about God,
Before he reveals anything about himself,
Before he offers miracles or teachings,
He asks them to name their longing.
He says,
What are you looking for?
And I want you to notice that this isn't just a casual question.
It's not about directions,
And it's not about curiosity.
It's a question that reaches beneath the surface of life.
Because most of us live surrounded by surface wants.
We look for comfort and success,
Maybe recognition,
Relief from the pressures or the fears that surround us.
But beneath all those smaller desires lies something deeper.
A longing to belong,
A longing to be known,
A longing to be at peace,
A longing to find meaning that holds,
Even when life feels uncertain.
So Jesus' question here invites honesty.
He doesn't want you to say anything in particular.
He doesn't want special religious language.
Just honesty.
What are you really looking for?
Not what others expect you to want,
Not what culture tells you that should matter,
Not even what you think sounds spiritual.
Just what are you truly searching for?
And in the story,
The disciples respond with another question.
They say,
Rabbi,
Where are you staying?
Which sounds like a practical question,
But I think once again there's something a little bit deeper in that,
Because they're asking Jesus for his address.
They're asking where life can be found,
Where meaning lives,
Where God might be encountered.
Obviously they can see life and meaning and even the Spirit of God coming through what they've seen in Jesus.
And they want to know where that space is.
And Jesus' response to them is,
Come and see.
And this is a response that opens into relationship,
Presence and transformation.
But before there is following,
Before there's understanding and before there is faith,
There's longing and the courage to name it.
So today as we sit with this question,
We're not asked to solve anything.
We're asked to notice,
To listen inwardly,
To let the question echo through our lives.
What are you looking for?
Not yesterday,
Not someday in the future,
But today.
So as you listen,
Allow the words to settle gently.
Listen for a word or phrase that draws your attention.
Don't force meaning,
Just receive what you hear and allow the Spirit to speak to your heart as you reflect.
Let's begin.
John chapter 1 verse 38.
Jesus turned and saw them following and he said to them,
What are you looking for?
They said to him,
Rabbi,
Which is translated as teacher,
Where are you staying?
And he said to them,
What are you looking for?
They said to him,
Rabbi,
Which is translated as teacher,
Where are you staying?
And he said to them,
Rabbi,
Which is translated as teacher,
Where are you staying?
John chapter 1 verse 38.
Jesus turned and saw them following and he said to them,
What are you looking for?
They said to him,
Rabbi,
Which is translated as teacher,
Where are you staying?
Let us pray.
Jesus,
You meet us not first with answers but with questions.
You turn toward us just as you turn towards those first disciples and you ask us to name what lives within us.
Give us courage to be honest about our longing.
Where we've chased after surface desires,
Lead us gently towards what is deeper.
Where we feel restless or uncertain,
Teach us to listen to the quiet movements of our heart.
Help us to recognise that beneath every search for meaning,
Beneath every desire for peace,
Beneath every hope for belonging,
It is you we are seeking.
Stay with us as your question continues to echo within us and when we're ready,
Lead us step by step to come and see where life is found.
Amen.
And may grace,
Peace and love be with you today and always.
Amen.
Until next time,
Peace be with you.
