looking

1) Jesus asked those following Him, “What are you looking for?” and they replied with another question, not really answering His question. What do you think Jesus was really asking and what did His followers really mean? 
Jesus had a habit of asking people questions with a deeper meaning than what appeared on the surface. He asked the disabled man, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6) He asked blind men, “Do you believe I can do this?” (Matthew 9:28) and later “What do you want me to do for you?” (Matthew 20:32) As we read yesterday, He asked Simon Peter, “Do you love me?” (John 21:15-19)  

Instead of answering Jesus’ heart-question, they responded with an easy-answer: “Where are you staying?” Enough to indicate they were interested in Jesus, but nothing revealing their hearts’ desire. In verse 40, Andrew answers Jesus’ question, “What are you looking for?” with “We have found the Messiah.” They were looking for the Savior, the Promised One, the Messiah that was to make all things right. Jesus knew all of this. When He asked what, the heart of His question asked who.

2) What was significant about Jesus telling Simon Peter that he would be called Cephas? 
In the Old Testament, God would give an individual a new name when He commissioned them for His purposes. He changed Abram’s name to Abraham when He called him to be the father of many nations (Genesis 17:5). He changed Jacob’s name to Israel signifying he would father the 12 tribes of Israel (Genesis 32:24-32). Here, Jesus tells Simon He will be known as Cephas, which translated to Peter. Like Abraham and Jacob, Peter had an encounter with God that changed the trajectory of his life.  

His relationship with Jesus gave him an all-encompassing new identity, from how he spent his time and money to his very name. Not only did his name change represent life change, it represented how his life would change. Matthew 16:18 says, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” Jesus chose the name Peter, which means Rock, to directly call out how God would use Peter for His greater purpose and plan. Peter went on to write two books of the New Testament, first and second Peter. Not only was Peter a rock of the early church, but his letters still serve us today with foundational teaching about Jesus and the Christian life.

3) Peter’s call to follow Jesus is further described in Luke 5:1-11. How has Peter’s journey with Christ changed between these two scenes?
When we meet Peter in John 1, Peter and Jesus had just recently met. Peter was just getting to know Jesus, although Jesus already knew Peter. In Luke 4:38-39, Jesus healed Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. After that, Jesus spent time preaching in the synagogues (Luke 4:43-44), where Peter was likely present. When we get to chapter 5 of Luke, Simon Peter has met Jesus, had his name changed by Jesus, witnessed Jesus perform a miracle by healing his mother-in-law, and heard Jesus preach the good news about the kingdom of God. Whew! It’s no wonder that when Jesus told Peter, (the professional fisherman), to put out his nets, he obeyed. After seeing yet another miracle, Peter falls humbly before Jesus, calling Him Lord. In verse 11 we read how they left everything and followed Jesus. Peter fully left his fisherman profession behind to become a “fisher of men” (Matthew 4:19).