What Are You Seeking? (John 1:19-51)

May 4, 2025

Sermon Transcript

The title of today’s lesson is “What are you seeking?” These four words are not only the first words spoken by Jesus in the book of John, but they also happen to pose a really profound question, a question that all of us should consider.

The reality is that every human is searching for something. This is why Google’s search engine was once again the world’s most-visited website in 2024.
The average person uses Google Search 3-4 times a day, which equates to about 8.5 billion total searches worldwide each day, or two trillion searches a year. How do I know these things….I searched Google.
A deep dive into Google is like a deep dive into the human soul. What we search for tells us a lot about our desires, our hopes, our selves. So what does Google reveal? Well, according to Google, we are a people that search for….
- Belonging and Acceptance, making Facebook the #2 searched website in the world.
- We also seek meaningful Relationships, making WhatsApp number 3.
- We seek Understanding, Google Translate is number 4,
- We seek comfort and status through Materialism, with Amazon coming in at 7,
- And, of course, we all need some Rest (Eight Sleep is a popular mattress company). And all the new parents say Amen!
- Our search results provide an interesting glimpse into the collective human psyche. Yet, one truth echoes quietly in all these searches: humans continue to search for things only God can satisfy.
Today, I want us to explore this idea of “searching” a bit more.
- First, we’ll do a VERY brief, very unnoficial history of “searching” in the Bible before diving deeper into the Gospel of John. There, we’ll explore four key figures—the Pharisees, John the Baptist, the disciples, and Jesus. I trust we can learn something new about searching from each one.

First, our unofficial history of searching in the Bible.
The Bible has a lot to say about searching. The OT shows what happens when we search for meaning apart from God.
1. In Genesis, Adam and Eve search for wisdom apart from God and fall into sin.
2. In Samuel, Israel searches for power apart from God and finds centuries of dysfunction.
3. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon searches for pleasure, riches, and knowledge but finds it all meaningless apart from God.
4. Over and over again, Israel searches for meaning and purpose and hope and protection outside of God, and over and over again, they fall into deeper despair. God, in his mercy, sends prophet after prophet to remind His people where to search: “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near,“ Isaiah says in chapter 55, verse 6.
5. In the final book of the OT, God uses the prophet Malachi to tell Israel to look to the future. He tells Israel that he will send a messenger, John the Baptist, to prepare the way for a coming Messiah: “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple.” (Malachi 3:1). In other words, if searching the wrong things got Israel into this mess, then searching for the Messiah will get them out.
6. Fast forward 400 years, to the time of our passage and the Jewish people are still searching for the promised Messiah. For many, this search consumes their thoughts and prayers. Perhaps this is why John makes searching such an important idea in his writing.
  1. Today, you’ll notice a lot of searching in our passage. Everyone, it seems, is looking, beholding, seeking, or finding. To illustrate this point, I’ll highlight the words and phrases that show people searching; together we’ll try to figure out what all this searching means. Let’s start in V. 19:

And this is the testimony of John [the baptist], when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” 24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Point # 1: Seek Self Glory; Find Destruction
1. The Pharisees are the first group of people searching for something in our passage. In v. 19, a group of priests and Levites approach John the Baptist and ask: Who are you? Immediately, John tells them, “I am not the Christ” – the Messiah everyone is searching for.
2. But it soon becomes clear that these priests are not searching for the Messiah. We learn in v. 22 that they had been sent by their leaders, the Pharisees, to investigate John. He had been saying some controversial things, things that posed a threat to their power. The Pharisees had spent centuries establishing themselves as the voice of the Jewish people, and in doing so, became obsessed with reputation and public image. What the Pharisees are really searching for is self-preservation. In other words, they’re looking out for themselves. The glory they seek is their own.
3. It’s easy to condemn the Pharisees, but I find their behavior all-too-familiar.
  1. I see it in our political systems, where winning the vote matters more than seeking the truth.
  2. I see it in our business practices, where branding is everything, and profit is pursued at any cost.
  3. Sadly, I also it in the global church. In the past decade, we’ve seen major church denominations cover up sexual abuse, silencing victims to protect the church’s reputation. Instead of prioritizing justice and truth, church leaders mirrored the Pharisees’ obsession with image and power.
  4. And in case we’re feeling smug and judgmental, I also see this type of behavior in me and you.
    1. I see it when we get defensive whenever people point out our sins;
    2. I see it when we justify our spending habits whenever they conflict with the radical generosity that Christ expects from us;
    3. I see it when we spend more time chasing Instagram followers than growing disciples or when we spend more time at Ikea decorating our kingdom than telling others about His kingdom.
    4. In short, the glory we seek is too often our own.
  5. So here’s some words of wisdom for all of us (you might want to write it down; ready: stop it.
  6. Don’t do what the Pharisees do. The Pharisees aren’t just background characters in the Gospels—they are warnings. God includes them in the New Testament not as a historical footnote, but as a flashing red light for every generation of believers: Don’t do what they do.
  7. While it may not be evident from our passage, we know from the rest of the Gospels that the Pharisees’ obsession with self-preservation will ultimately be their downfall. Nowhere is this more obvious than in Matthew 23.
    1. Speaking about the Pharisees, Jesus says, 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others…, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.
    2. And then comes the warning in v. 12, the one that echoes across eternity. Speaking about the Pharisees, Jesus says, Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
  8. Think about that: You cannot seek God’s glory and your own at the same time. To live for applause and approval is to forfeit eternity. The path lined with your glory ultimately leads to your destruction. So let’s not ignore the warning signs from our passage. Let’s learn from the Pharisee’s mistakes, and make this our first and foundational lesson for today:
    1. Seek Self Glory; Find Destruction.

Transition: On the other end of the spiritual spectrum, we have John the Baptist, whose search history couldn’t be any more different from the Pharisees. Here’s a guy who wears camel hair clothes, lives in the woods, and feasts on insects. He clearly doesn’t care what others think.

Let’s find out what makes him so different, picking up again in v. 29.

29 The next day [John the baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

Point # 2: Seek God’s Glory; Find Security John 1:29-34
1. Whereas the Pharisees are only looking out for themselves, John’s eyes are fixed on Jesus. From him, we learn our second lesson: Seek God’s Glory and Find Security.
  1. It’s clear from the passage that John is seeking something. You’ll see a form of the word “to see” four different times attached to his name. If we examine his search history, we see what he’s so interested in. John sees Jesus in v 29; he sees the Spirit in v. 32, he sees the Spirit again in v. 33, and he sees the Son of God in v. 34.
2. John has found what the world has been searching for, the promised Messiah, and now he cannot take his eyes off the glory of God. And because of this, he’s notably different then everyone else. Unlike other religious leaders (the Pharisees), he is notably secure. Let’s look at two ways this security shows up in his life.
  1. First, he’s secure in his identity.
    1. Studies show (OK, Google shows) that the average person spends about 78% of their conversations talking about themselves. Google also told me that the average person takes around 450 selfies each year. Why so much focus on ourselves? Psychologists say…(OK, Google says)…Because deep down, we crave validation. When we feel insecure, we reach for our stories, and our photos to prove our worth. Now compare this with John’s approach.
    2. Instead of trying to improve his image like the Pharisees, John’s identity is built on the rock of God’s greatness. When the religious leaders ask him “Who are you?” John could have said, ‘I’m the first prophet Israel has seen in 400 years!’ or “I’m the messenger from Malachi 3,” But he doesn’t. Instead, in v. 27, he tells them that he’s “not worthy to untie” the sandal of the coming Messiah.
    3. Over and over, he redirects the attention to Jesus. His self-worth isn’t tied to applause or recognition. It’s tied to the simple, breathtaking fact that he is a servant of the coming King. And because of that, he’s free—free from insecurity, free from the exhausting chase for validation, free to wear camel hair pants whenever he wants.
    4. In all seriousness, how much more peaceful would we be if our sense of identity didn’t rise and fall with how many likes, compliments, or promotions we get?
  2. Second, John is secure in his purpose.
    1. Notice how John doesn’t define himself by an occupation or a list of achievements. After being prodded by the Pharisees to tell them what he does, he tells them that he is “a voice.” Not a famous preacher. Not a prophet. Just a voice.
    2. In a world where everyone is desperately trying to be somebody, John is content being a voice for Somebody Else. His purpose isn’t about his career—it’s about preparing people for Jesus. And because his purpose is about God’s unshakable glory, John isn’t threatened when Jesus’ ministry eventually becomes bigger than his own. Later in John 3, he says, “[Jesus] must increase, and I must decrease.”
    3. Again, what if we took John’s approach? What if, the next time someone asked what you did, you told them about your place in God’s kingdom? Hey, what do you do for work? Oh, I’m the hands and feet of Jesus.
    4. Our identity and our purpose only become secure like this when we attach it to something that is secure. God’s glory is eternal and perfect. It does not falter; it will not fade. It is the everlasting rock (Isaiah 26:4). So Seek God’s Glory; Find Security.
  3. So far we’ve seen two types of searchers. First, we had the Pharisees who spent their lives searching for ways to make themselves look better. Then, we observed John who seeks God’s glory above all else.

Somewhere in between these two extremes lies a group of people who are simply searching for something better. They know that they are not the answer to the world’s problems, but they aren’t sure what is. This is, I believe, most people in the world. It’s also the disciples before they meet Jesus. Let’s read about them in our next passage, starting in verse 35.

35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).

Point # 3: Behold Jesus; Be Transformed John 1:35-42
1. This passage starts with John [the Baptist] and again, notice, his eyes are fixed on Jesus. And in perhaps the world’s first example of Christian evangelism, John does what comes naturally to anyone who is focused on Jesus. He points others to the object of his focus.
2. And notice what John tells his students to do in v. 36: he tells them to Behold. He doesn’t say interview Jesus or study Jesus or even look at Jesus. He says to Behold.
3. Now, the word behold is not just a verb for our eyes; it’s also a verb for our hearts. We don’t behold anything. We don’t behold the stop sign. We behold things that are amazing and beautiful. The word, then, is not just telling us what the students should do, but it’s also telling us who Jesus is – He is worthy to Behold.
4. The students are naturally intrigued, and as Jesus walks away, they follow Him. They are in full search mode. Let’s pause for a second here and consider our next lesson; this one focuses on the disciples: Behold Jesus; Be Transformed.
6. Maybe you’re like the disciples in this passage—you’ve heard stories of this Jesus, and you’re searching for answers. Maybe that’s why you’re here today. If that’s you, then hear this: Jesus’ invitation is for you. “Come and you will see.”
  1. Bring your questions. Bring your doubts. Bring your weary heart. Lay them at the feet of Jesus and look up: Behold the Lamb of God. I promise if you take the time to Behold Him – not just glance or even look, but truly Behold – you will finally find everything your soul has been searching for. And when this happens, you can’t help but be transformed forever.

Finally, there is one more person seeking something in our passage. It’s the most important seeker of all. Let’s read about Jesus’ search starting in v. 43.

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Our Final Point: Jesus Seeks Us & Sees Us John 1:43-51

I think it’s appropriate to read this last section as something like a search and rescue mission because Jesus is searching with a clear purpose: to save. In this last section, he rescues two people and each rescue teaches us something new.
First up is Philip. V. 43 says that Jesus went to Galilee and found Philip. It’s important to note that He didn’t wait around hoping Philip would one day find Him. Rather, He actively left his home to search for those who were lost. Notice the active verbs: Jesus went, Jesus found. So the first thing we learn about Jesus’ search history is this: Jesus takes an active role in our search for truth. He wants us to find him. He’s not some distant God, like Zues. He’s not some impersonal deity separate from humanity, like Allah. He’s not a formless notion like Brahman. He is specific, he is personal, and he is active. This is the first thing we learn: Jesus seeks us.
The second thing we learn comes from his interaction with Nathanial. Nathaniel has heard about Jesus and he’s interested in learning more. As Nathaniel approaches, Jesus says, “I know you.” Nathaniel is confused because they’ve never met before, so he asks, “How do you know me?”
1. And so Jesus explains: “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathaniel replies, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Nathanial is excited, not just because he’s found the Messiah, it because he’s learned something essential about Jesus. Jesus not only seeks us; he also sees us. What does it mean that Jesus sees us? Why is this significant?
2. This means that our greatest fear, the fear of our creator rejecting us, is unfounded. This is why, I believe, so many people don’t want to be found by Jesus; because they worry that when Jesus does find them, He will have a look, and He’ll say, “Sorry, I was looking for someone else, someone a little bit better.” Isn’t this our greatest fear? To be fully known, and completely rejected. And on the flip side, isn’t our greatest desire to be fully known, fully seen, and completely accepted?
3. Jesus sees Nathanael under the fig tree—before Nathanael ever sees Him. That’s not just a cool party trick. That’s the heart of God. Jesus knows you and sees you before you come to Him. He knows your doubts like Nathanael’s—Can anything good come out of Nazareth?—and yet He still comes close. He knows your sins, your struggles, and your darkest secret. He sees it all. And…He doesn’t flinch. He sees you, and He still seeks you.
Jesus’ rescue mission does not end in this passage. In fact, this is just the beginning (we’re only in chapter 1!). His rescue mission would take him all over Galilee, Samaria, Judea, and beyond. In Luke 19, He makes his mission clear: The Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost.
What incredible news: the Messiah, the Son of the living God, came to earth to help us in our search for Him. And when we do find Him, we can be certain that He will not reject us. He has seen us in our most vulnerable moments, he knows about our worst sins—and still, he comes near. Amazing.

Conclusion: If you know me well, you know that I am prone to lose things. I lose typical things like keys and wallets, but harder things like cars and clothes. I even lost my hair. And here’s something I’ve learned about losing things: The intensity of one’s search is determined by the worth of what they seek. I’ll say it again: The intensity of one’s search is determined by the worth of what they seek.

Here’s what I mean: When I lose a pen, I might search for a few seconds. I might open a few drawers, but that’s the extent of my search. You can tell my pen is not worth much to me. Now, when I lose my wallet, my search becomes more intense. I look in my bedroom, the car, under the couch. I’ll search for hours to find it, though never as long as my wife wants me to search. When Brooklynn, my oldest child, was two, I lost her at the beach. Imagine if I had looked for her like I look for my pen, just wandering around the beach for a few moments before giving up. That would be absurd because my intensity would not match my love for the thing I seek. Instead, I desperately ran down the beach, shouting her name. I asked anyone I saw to help me. I didn’t care if I looked like a fool or a madman, all I wanted in that moment was to find the thing I was desperately searching for. The intensity of my search had been determined by the worth of my daughter.

Now consider Jesus’ search for us. Eventually, his search would bring him to the cross. If his rescue mission was going to succeed, he had to get rid of the one thing separating us from God-–our sin. And so he went to the cross and paid the penalty for our sins, so that we might ultimately find, in Him, what we have been seeking since the time of Adam and Eve—a way back to the Father. A way back to the life we’ve been searching for—a life of purpose, security, and love.

Today, the cross stands as both a conclusion and an invitation. It’s a conclusion because it reminds us that the search is over—and it tells us what Jesus was willing to endure just to find us. If the intensity of one’s search is determined by the worth of what they seek, then take a second to consider: how much you must be worth to Jesus? His suffering is a testimony to the depth of His love for you and for those who are truly searching.

The cross is also an invitation: if Jesus already sees you, already knows you, and already gave everything to find you…Why search for meaning anywhere else?

The invitation still stands — the same as it did when Jesus walked the earth: “Come and see” what you have been searching for.

Behold the lamb of God.

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