What does John 1:38 mean?
Jesus has a habit of cutting right to the most important questions. In this case, His question is the same one God asks everyone who claims to seek Him: "what is it you are really, truly looking for?" The reasons a person seeks Jesus are just as important as what they find. What a person wants affects what they're willing to believe. It's often more important to find out why a person is asking a question than to answer it right away. What the other person seeks is critical to how they will interpret the answer.John and Andrew (John 1:37) are cautious towards Jesus. Referring to Him as "Rabbi" was a gesture of respect. This verse defines the term "Rabbi" for the reader; these helpful asides are used often in this gospel (John 1:41–42; 9:7; 20:16). Their question suggests that John and Andrew didn't expect to talk much with Him, at once. They expected Him to be busy, or on His way somewhere else. So, they skipped right to asking where they might be able to meet Him later. Jesus' willingness to spend time with them (John 1:39) is not only gracious, but also surprising.
John 1:29–42 describes more conversations, these between John the Baptist, his disciples, and Jesus. It includes the moment Jesus recruits His first two disciples. Jesus is identified as "the Lamb of God," and "the Son of God." The Baptist describes his vision of the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, landing on Jesus. This confirms that He is the Messiah. The Baptist seems to tell John and Andrew to go and follow Jesus. They, in turn, introduce Jesus to Peter.
The first chapter of John introduces Jesus as "the Word," from the Greek logos. This chapter clearly describes Jesus as God. After this prologue, the chapter describes Jesus recruiting the first of His disciples, as well as a conversation between John the Baptist and the Pharisees. There are seven names or titles for Christ in this chapter, including "the Son of God," "the Word," and "the King of Israel."
