Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

If Jesus said, “What do you want?”, what would you say? 

That’s the first question Jesus asked his disciples. When John introduced him as the lamb of God, two of John’s disciples followed Jesus, so he said, “What do you want?” 

Taken aback, they replied, “Uhhhh–like, where are you staying?”

“Come and see,” he said (John 1:39). And they spent the day hanging out with him. 

So begins John’s story about Jesus’ disciples. He doesn’t start with a splash, like Matthew and Luke, where Jesus calls busy fishermen. John starts with curious disciples trailing Jesus.

One of the most amusing and mystifying features in John’s gospel is how he contrasts Jesus’ greatness in heaven with his low profile on earth. 

• Jesus was the creator, but his creation didn’t recognize him.
• He was eternal, but he functioned on an earthly clock, all the way from a baby to a man.
• He was full of grace and truth, but the Jewish religion thought him a scammer.
• His home was heaven, but he invited the first disciples to his residence on earth. 

“What do you want?” he asked them. Does he ask you that? Do you know what you want?

Continuing the story, one of the two who followed Jesus was Andrew. He made a detour to collect his brother Simon. And Jesus gave Simon a new name, Peter, the rock (John 1:42). Does Jesus give you a new name?

The next day, Philip invited Nathanael saying. “Hey! We found the Messiah. He’s Jesus of Nazareth.”

Listen to Nathanael’s shocked unbelief. “A messiah from Nazareth? Nothing good ever came from that place” (John 1:46). 

Jesus, a commonplace man from a disreputable village. In Matthew, shepherds heard angels and believed who Jesus was. In John, Nathanael heard Philip and disbelieved his testimony.

Jesus responded to Nathanael, “I saw you under the fig tree. I know you are a man without pretensions” (John 1:48). Amazed, Nathanael said, “Rabbi, you are the son of God, the king of Israel” (John 1:49). 

John doesn’t describe the logic, the reasoning, that lifted Nathanael from “Nazareth? Unbelievable” to “I believe in you, Jesus.” But perhaps that’s what meeting Jesus can do. 

Let’s pray. 

O Jesus, you invited the disciples to “come and see” where you were staying. 

Two thousand years and half a world away, we still hear your invitation. We come, we see, we believe you live among us and in us.

O Jesus, speak to us as you spoke to Nathanael, words that turn our hard unbelieving hearts to faith, that turn our harsh unyielding realism to gentle openness, that turn idle curiosity into living discipleship. 

Amen.

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

What’s the biggest problem Jesus faced? 

John hints at it when he says, “[Jesus] made the world, then he came into the world, but the world did not recognize him” (John 1:10).

The problem is, How can people recognize the creator of the world when he shows up with sawdust on his elbows and splinters in his fingers?

The religious people were certain that if God showed up, he’d approve their religion. But Jesus sure didn’t. The disciples saw his miracles for three years, but never clued in to who he was. And we, his modern disciples, have a wide range of beliefs and practices. 

John points out a second problem. Jesus was the light that “shone in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it” (John 1:5). Here’s another question: How would you recognize the light if it showed up in your darkness? Would you be one of those who loves darkness rather than light?

John also says, “[Jesus] came to his own people, but they didn’t receive him” (John 1:11). 

Jesus showed up with three strikes against him:
– Humans didn’t recognize their maker
– The darkness couldn’t understand the light
– His own people rejected him outright

What a great start for the gospel of John! It’s like, three strikes and you’re out. But John doesn’t call Jesus “out”. Not yet. Stay tuned to see where John takes the story from here. 

Let’s pray.

Our father, Jesus’ problems at his coming are still problems for us today. Yes, our religion worships God, but is Jesus the one who inspires our lives and churches? Or have we strayed far from our maker? 

Jesus was the light, but the darkness didn’t understand him. For years, we have studied  scripture, but our lives and world are still dark places. Help us receive his light, his spirit, his truth. 

With John as our guide, we follow Jesus once more. We believe he is our maker. We believe he makes us children of God. We receive his light and his way of life. We are his brothers and sisters. 

Thank you for the life of Jesus. Thank you for his life in us. 

Amen.

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

What do you think of John’s gospel? Some like it because it’s more philosophical than Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Others prefer Mark’s style: short and fast-moving stories with little commentary. 

Back when I was middle aged, John’s was my favorite gospel. I fancied myself as philosophically and spiritually sophisticated; John appeared to ride the same wave. Alas! Life burst my bubble and I discovered I’m just a simple man who understands little philosophy and only basic spirituality.

But guess what? Now, at the beginning of 2026, John’s gospel calls me. Not sure what it’s saying. But maybe if I reflect and pray on John’s message, my hearing will sharpen and my understanding will deepen. 

Let’s try listening together.

The start of John’s gospel says, “In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1). 

John must have read Genesis. It also starts, “In the beginning” (Gen 1:1). That points to God creating the heavens and earth. How did he do that? By speaking. That’s all: by speaking! To an empty universe, God’s first word was, “Let there be light ” (Gen 1:3). 

John’s beginning is also about speech, about words. He says, “In the beginning was the Word . . . All things were made through him” (John 1:1,3). The Word. A new name for Jesus, not found in the other gospels. Only in John.

I see three parallels between Genesis and John. 

First, where Genesis says, “In the beginning GOD”, John says, “In the beginning was the WORD.” God was there and the Word was there, in the beginning. 

Second, in Genesis, God is the creator. In John, all things were made through Jesus, the Word. So who is the creator? God? Jesus? Maybe both?

A third parallel is light. God’s first words in Genesis are, “Let there be light.” John says, “In Jesus was life, and that life was the light of human kind” (John 1:4). 

Something momentous is happening here. Something bigger than creation. God, who created the world with his word is speaking again, sending his Word (Jesus!) into the world. He is sending light to everyone.

Are we ready for this? Are we listening to the word? Are we looking for that light?

Let’s pray. 

O father, we hear John say, “In the beginning was the Word.” Help us hear the word you spoke at the beginning. Help us hear the word you spoke in Jesus. Help us hear the words you speak to us.

We worship you who said, “Let there be light.” We worship you for sending Jesus, the light of the world. 

In our winter-dark northern January, we need more of the sunlight you created. In our sin-darkened world, we need more of Christ’s light. May he shine in our hearts, may he shine in the world, driving away sin’s night. 

Walk with us as we read John’s gospel. Stir our minds to contemplate the Jesus who John knew and loved. Stir our hearts to believe in the Christ John preached. Stir our lives to follow the savior John followed. 

Amen.

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube