“Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?” (John 1:38)
Every person who becomes a follower of Christ at some point is possessed by a strong interest in knowing Him. Who exactly is this Person? One doesn’t know, but there is an insatiable desire to find out.
The Lord asked His initial disciples, “Why are you following Me?” Did they understand their strange attraction to Him? John the Baptist had pointed them in His direction: “And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!” (John 1:36). Did they grasp in that moment the full import of this man being the Lamb of God? Much later, they remained confounded by His talk of sacrificing His life. All they knew in the beginning was that their welfare was somehow dependent on being connected to Him, and they were being pulled to Him like metal to a magnet.
This attraction to Christ is the continuing mark of every true disciple. When others leave Him, they cannot. “Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:67,68).
Let others defect because of some offense with His word. Let others find fault with Him for some dealing with them. To the Christ lover, He remains the pearl of great price. They not only love Him, but they love His law, and nothing offends them. He never ceases to be good and wonderful in their eyes. Others tire of the Christian life; they don’t – because it is Christ Himself who fascinates them. He never becomes dull; there is always some new height or depth He is ushering them into.
Those who love the Lord don’t merely desire to spend the day with Him. “They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day …” (John 1:39) The one thing they desire is to dwell in His house each and every day, to behold His beauty, to speak to Him and to hear from Him. He is their Magnificent Obsession.