John 1:38

Jesus asked these two men why they were walking behind Him. Did they want something from Him?

"It appears that the Evangelist is writing on two levels. The question makes sense as straightforward narrative: Jesus asks the two men who are following him to articulate what is on their minds. But the Evangelist wants his readers to reflect on a deeper question: the Logos-Messiah confronts those who make any show of beginning to follow him and demands that they articulate what they really want in life." [Note: Carson, pp. 154-55.]

This two-level or dual intention becomes obvious in many places as John’s Gospel unfolds. It is similar to Jesus’ purpose in telling parables.

Jesus’ question gave the men the opportunity to express their desire to become His disciples. However, they may not have been quite ready to make that commitment. They replied by asking where He was staying. This polite response may have implied that they simply wanted to have a preliminary interview with Him. [Note: Ibid., p. 155; and Tenney, "John," p. 40.] Or they may have been expressing a desire to become his disciples. [Note: Morris, p. 137; and David A. Montgomery, "Directives in the New Testament: A Case Study of John 1:38," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 50:2 (June 2007):275-88.] The fact that John interpreted the word "rabbi" for his readers is clear evidence that he wrote primarily for Gentiles.

"Staying" translates one of the writer’s characteristic words (i.e., Gr. meno, "to abide"). Here it means to reside, but often it has theological connotations of continuing on, especially in an intimate relationship. These men may have already been wondering if that type of relationship with Jesus might be possible for them. This word occurs 112 times in the New Testament, and John used it 66 of those times, 40 times in his Gospel. [Note: William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, s.v. "meno," pp. 504-5.]