May 22 I Monday

1 Chronicles 16-18

John 7:28-53

“Turning round, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’ They said, ‘Rabbi’ (which means ‘Teacher’), ‘where are you staying?’ ‘Come,’ He replied, ‘and you will see.’”   —John 1:38-39

After John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus to be the Lamb of God, Scripture tells of two disciples of John—Andrew and an unnamed disciple—who followed Jesus. When Jesus realized they were following Him, He turned to them and asked, “What do you want?”

       Andrew and the other disciple answered, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” This may seem an odd response, as if the question Jesus asked caught them off guard, but their response actually holds tremendous spiritual significance. Included here by implication is the very essence of the Gospel. Where does Jesus live? During His public ministry, Jesus was of no fixed abode. He told a teacher of the law who wanted to follow Him, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head “(Matthew 8:20).

       In biblical times, when a Jew asked a rabbi where he was staying, they were essentially saying, “I want to learn from you. I want to enter into a discipleship relationship with you. I want to know you, experience you, and be completely immersed in what you teach.” Jesus replied to the two disciples, “Come and you will see.” He was inviting them into a place of belonging where they would come to know who He was, learn from Him and experience Him. The two disciples spent the day with Jesus, but it was not until three years later that they would understand where Jesus makes His real home. He said to His disciples, “Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and We will come to them and make Our home with them” (John 14:23). The Gospel is about Jesus making His home in our hearts, but it is conditional upon a wilful, deliberate decision on our part to submit to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

       It is vital we understand there is no such thing as a second-generation Christian. No one is born a Christian. This is not about hereditary factors, ancestry, culture or close affiliations we have with Christians. We cannot come to Christ on the coat tails of someone else, nor can we live the Christian life second-hand. God does not have grandchildren, only children. It is a one-on-one relationship with Jesus Christ in which following Him is not walking six steps behind Him, trying to imitate what He does. It is being in union with Jesus and allowing His Spirit to direct and empower our lives. When Jesus is the focus of our love and devotion, then to find Him in His home is to find Him in our hearts!

Prayer: Sovereign Lord, thank You for the privilege and blessing of having a one-on-one relationship with You. Thank You for making Your home in my heart!