Abide in Me and I in You

 

And so Jesus' ministry begins not with a command to silence a demon, as in Mark; nor with a sermon to the crowds who have gathered on a mountain, as in Matthew, and not with a quotation from Isaiah to proclaim his anointing for the year of God's favor, as in Luke. No, Jesus' ministry in John begins with a question: "What are you looking for?" (John1:35-42). Jesus doesn't mince words when he asks us "What are you looking for?" Our answers require a great deal of introspection and perhaps may change based on where we are on our journey. 

What are we seeking? What motivates us? What is it that we really need, not just on the surface, but down deep in the core of our being? In a way, we have an advantage over the disciples; we know what’s coming and we know how it all will end. Yet, we continue to ask, what are we looking for? 

As if this mind-bending, soul-searching question was not enough, immediately following their “introductions,” the disciples ask another question: "where are you staying?" We know that John is not one to mince words. His words palpably resonate in us beyond their literal meanings. So, asking Jesus where he was “staying” has little to do with making inquiry about his local lodging or accommodations. Rather, it requires that we probe for what the phrase means to us. What word might you select as a synonym for “stay?” Continue, dwell, lodge, sojourn, rest, settle, last, endure, persevere, be steadfast, be in close and settled union and indwell? The list is endless and any of the preceding words might work at any given time. How about "abide?"

Marcus Borg writes in the Heart of Christianity, “that the Christian life is not about believing or a set of beliefs, but it’s about a deepening relationship with the one in whom we live and move and have our being. Paying attention to this relationship transforms us.” So, if we choose to interpret John’s question to mean our asking about an intimate, enduring relationship with God, the word “abide” has particular meaning that fits. We surrender our ego to God as the Word becomes flesh and abides in us, and sows the seed of transformation, and we are born into a new life.