What Do You Want?
Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
–John 1:38
If you arrange the Gospels chronologically, this is one of the first things that Jesus was recorded saying to his disciples. It’s a very big question that encompasses a whole slew of other questions.
What do you want?
- What is it you are looking for?
- What do you want to see happen?
- What do you want to achieve?
- What do you want to be a part of?
- Whom do you want to get to know?
- Where do you want to go?
- What do you want to possess?
- What do you want to give?
The is an unbelievable depth to those four little words in that question. I’m just scratching the surface.
Just like the disciples Jesus first asked the question just scratched the surface. Their answer? “Where are you staying?” Very superficial. It was sort of like asking, “Can we hang out with you for a little while?” I’m not sure the disciples really knew what it was they truly wanted.
I’m not sure I know what I want either.
As usual, Jesus answered their question and a whole lot more at the same time. “Come and see,” was all he said. Basically Jesus was telling them to spend some time with him. Then they’d find what they really wanted, that thing they were looking for.
Most folks don’t see Christianity as very relevant to real, day-to-day life these days. Yet the first thing Jesus asks his would-be disciples goes right to the core of who they are. By extension he is asking us the same exact thing.
What do you want?
You may have your life’s plan all figured out. If you do, I’m genuinely happy for you.
But I’m not there with you, though. Even though I’m rapidly approaching 40, I still don’t really know what it is I want to be when I grow up. One thing I learned flying in the Navy: You’ll never hit your target if you don’t decide which target to aim at.
Therefore I am going to take some down time by lowering my priority for the blogging scene while I wrestle with the question. When I come out the back side of the process I fully expect some things will change. What, exactly, I have no idea at this point. Nor do I know how long it will take.
But I’m sure it will be an interesting process.
Do you know the answer to the question?
What do you want?
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7 comments
Good luck, Chris. That’s the big question most of us have to answer, finding out what we want, not what we’ve been told we should want.
Hi Chris,
Since I just found this blog, I’ll catch up on some of the older stuff while you’re gone.
One quick question, though. Do we get what we want when we get what we want?
Carolyn
Thanks Rick. I’ll be sure to keep y’all posted on what I find out.
Carolyn, I’m not sure I follow your question. I guess my point here is that perhaps too many of us Christians have this understanding that if we desire something it must by definition be wrong for us. Yet when I look through the accounts of Jesus I see him constantly asking folks what they want and then meeting that desire.
But how can he give us the desires of our hearts if we don’t even know what it is we desire in the first place?
Hi Chris,
Sometimes I don’t play nice. I was using the word ‘want’ in the same sentence with different meanings. Too bad for my poor question that the different meanings of the word didn’t change thoughout the sentence. So let’s see if I can get it better this time:
Do we get what we need when we get whatwewant?
Chris,
We already know the desires of our hearts. All we need do is ask that those desires be shown to us.
Carolyn
Carolyn, according to Strong’s the Greek word that was originally written in that passage is:
zeteo { dzay-teh’-o}
1) to seek in order to find
1a) to seek a thing
1b) to seek [in order to find out] by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into
1c) to seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after
2) to seek i.e. require, demand
2a) to crave, demand something from someone
So I guess my loose, Chris translation would be “What is it you are trying to find, or craving after?†- What do you want?
And I understand what you were asking now. Yours is a good question. It is how I’ve always understood the whole deal. But basically asked that way the question implies pretty much everything we want is probably not what is best for us.
Yet Jesus repeatedly asks folks what they want. Sure, sometimes he uses the question to probe to their deeper needs. But other times he just gives them what they say they want. End of lesson, even though we would expect him to go on and say something to the effect, “OK. Now that you’ve gotten what you say you wanted, let me give you what you really need.â€
And I guess my point is this: I really am not sure what it is I want - what I’m seeking after, what I crave. My wife said I’m over thinking this whole thing. And she is probably right.
Even so I’m going to wrestle with it a bit longer…
When in doubt, listen to your wife.
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