“What are you looking for?” (John 1:35)

“I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

“I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

“I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)

“I am the gate.  Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. … I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:9)

“I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. … they will listen to my voice.” (John 10:10-16)

These metaphors of Jesus, taken together, suggest a holistic approach to discipleship.  Because Jesus is the Light, disciples must see the light if we are to follow it.  Because he is the Bread, disciples must eat and gain our daily nourishment from his incarnation (the fact that he lived among us), his life (obeying his teachings), his death (accepting and appropriating the grace of his sacrifice), his resurrection (hope that transcends our changing circumstances), and his ascension.  Because he is the Gate of the sheep pen, disciples must walk through him to enter the security of the pen and leave to the daily pastures.  Because he is the Shepherd, Disciples must hear his voice amid the cacophony of sound in which we live our daily lives.

Seeing.  Eating.  Walking.  Hearing.

These are all things we do in the course of our daily living.

Jesus didn’t come to remove us from our daily living.  He didn’t come so that we wouldn’t have to experience pain, sadness, grief, illness, anxiety, joy, hope, gratitude, laughter.  He didn’t come so that we would spend our days in some mystical state of otherworldliness.  (Note: I in no way want to suggest that mystic experiences are outside of the realm of discipleship with Jesus.  They are not.  But, such experiences are given as rare gifts to encourage us in our private prayer, they are not to be the paradigm for our every-day living.)

Jesus came so that we might have life, and have it abundantly.

So that we would see the chaos that is contemporary living through the lense of the One who creates, redeems, and restores peace; so that we would seek out and feed on the nourishment for faith that alone can give a sense of hope and harmony; so that we could walk among the countless decisions we have to make following the steps of the One who knows the way to the Father with whom is eternal joy; so that, amidst the din of self-doubt, self-rejection, social media posts, adds, and news headlines, we would hear the voice of the Beloved calling us beloved.

However, although we can spill much ink trying to describe who Jesus is and why he came, that will not satisfy the question: “What are you looking for?” unless we encounter Jesus for ourselves through the help of the Holy Spirit, in the daily tasks we pursue.

After Jesus asked his disciples this question, they then asked where he was staying.  To which query he responded: “Come and see” (John 1:39.)

Jesus is the Way to the Life that is True.

The disciples’ task is to open themselves to him through reliance on the Holy Spirit and see, eat, walk with, and hear him guiding us through all our daily tasks.