âWhat do you want?â This was the question that my husband began his sermon with a few weeks back. In the momentary silence, I admit the first thing that came to mind is that I want my family to be âalright.â I want us to have good health, I want my kids to follow Jesus and to live long, fruitful lives.
When asked this question at age 5, I would have said I want a new Cabbage Patch doll. At age 16, I would have said I want a car and more freedom. At age 21, my want was to be married, and at age 35, I would have answered that I want both parents with me on earth. And then just a few weeks ago, sitting in the sanctuary, I found myself answering without much hesitation, I want my family to be alright.
Jesus asks a similar question to two of his followers in John 1:38. Upon their immediate reaction to follow this man named Jesus, He doesnât ask the followers, âWhat do you know,â or âWhat do you understand about me,â but instead he asks them, âWhat are you seeking?â Itâs Jesusâ way of asking them, what do you want? I donât think his followers really knew the answer because their response is a bit peculiar. Jesus asks them what they are seeking, and they answer with another question: âWhere are you staying?â
Where are you staying? What kind of response is this to a question of desire? Initially, it comes across somewhat humorous: We want to follow you, Jesus, but we want to make sure our stays along the way will be nice bed and breakfasts as oppose to barns. We hear you were born in a barn, Jesus.
But these followers arenât concerned about the particulars of where Jesus is staying, they simply want to know where to find him. What do we want, you ask, Jesus? Can we come with you to figure it out?
Our Only Source of True Satisfaction
What the disciples begin to uncover is that this man, this Jesus, is the Messiah they had been waiting for. As they watch him perform miracles and take in His astounding teaching, they begin to understand that it is HE they are seeking. HE is the answer to their wants and their desires. Later in John 6, Jesus says to these followers, âDo not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.â Our natural inclination is to seek satisfaction from the bread of the world, to seek what is tangible, what we can see right in front of us. But Jesus reminds His disciples that nothing this world has to offer will ultimate satisfy. Nothing.
Though there are many distractions in this life that parade around saying otherwise. They’re adorned with flashy signs and symbols promising to bring happiness. Money and possessions deceptively showcase their ability to fulfill, and yet they leave the soul feeling empty and consequently cause us to crave more. Change in jobs or status assure a more fulfilling life, but like a delicious dinner that brings pleasure, it doesnât have the ability to keep us full forever.
Jesus doesnât provide something additional and showy that offers eternal satisfaction, He simply offers Himself. He is the bread. He is the source of satisfaction. But, oh, how difficult this can be to connect from our head to our heart. If someone were to ask, âWhat will make you satisfied in life?â what would you say? Itâs likely that the answer controls major decisions and consumes anxious thoughts. Itâs easy, then, to pour all of our efforts into the bucket weâve labeled âwill satisfy,â only to find that our buckets are bottomless because any answer other than Jesus cannot fulfill our deepest longing.
Wanting Jesus
Our âwantsâ are not always wrong in and of themselves. In fact, they are often worthy desires. But when we want or desire anything or anyone more than we want Jesus, then, as Tim Keller puts it, we have made a good thing a god thing. And no good âthing,â no great human, can replace the God shaped hole that is in each of our souls. As St. Augustine said, âOur heart is restless until it rests in you.â Only Jesus can satisfy our deepest desire and longing. Only Jesus can fill our empty buckets that we try insufficiently to fill with tangible things.
Finding satisfaction in Jesus in part means finding contentment in the here and now even when things are not alright. Dissatisfaction is at the root of so much sin. When we are not satisfied in our marriages, we are tempted to look at another man or woman. When we are not satisfied with our children because of challenging temperaments or even rebellion, we submit to bitter envy and scroll through social media spotting all the simulated âperfectionâ we wish we had.
Psalm 107:9 says, âFor he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.â Jesus fills our souls with good things. More stuff canât make us happy, a different plot in life doesnât equal contentment, but Jesus satisfies. What should we want more than anything in this life? Jesus. More and more of Jesus. He is the one who gives us peace when the road becomes rocky and uncertain. He is the one who gives us contentment when our job seems mundane, and Jesus alone is the one who gives us hope when our circumstances are anything but âalright.â May our hearts swell toward this truth as we learn more about our Savior so that each morning when confronted with the âwantsâ all around us, we can answer with greater confidence: I want Jesus because He is all I truly need.
