Four words. Just four short words spoken by Jesus in the form of a question to two fellows who were following him.
“What do you want?” he asks. Or in some translations, “What do you seek?”
What do I want? Well . . . I want my boys to remain healthy and to grow into successful men who love God and others. Oh, and I would like enough money, just enough so I would never worry again. And a vacation would be nice. And maybe I would like to own a house at the beach . . . and I would like hair that doesn’t frizz in the rain . . . .and I’d like a piece of really good dark chocolate cake . . .the list goes on . . .
But what do I truly want? Whatever my imagination fancies, I fear I am always going to want more. Our appetites yearn for more than the material, but instead of seeking the higher good, I often fill my yearnings with a temporal quick fix. But if we are honest, most of us yearn for something beyond ourselves – we want to feel connected and loved.
What do you want? This is a good question to ask ourselves, especially at the beginning of a New Year.
The disciples gave a good answer to the question that Jesus posed – actually they answered with a question of their own. They asked, “Where do you dwell?”
In asking that question, perhaps they were open to the idea that this man Jesus might have something more for them – something beyond their world that would satisfy their yearning.
Jesus’s response to them was, “Come and you will see.” And I think that is his answer to us, as well. Whatever our circumstances, whether we are a new Christian or one with of a mature faith, He is always beckoning us to take another step toward him. Because what we want is more than a method; it is beyond the temporal, it is not contained in a set of instructions—it is a relationship with the God who loves us so much, that He became one of us. So, this New Year, take His hand—Come and you will see.
You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. Saint Augustine of Hippo
Jesus said, whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. John 4:14
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