How an uncomfortable question became the foundation of Christian discipleship

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The World’s Most Awkward Pickup Line

“Where are you staying?” might be the most awkward pickup line in all of scripture.

Picture the scene: Jesus turns around and asks his would-be followers, “What are you looking for?”—already an intense question for a first conversation. And they respond with… “Uh, where’s your place?”

It’s like responding to “What do you want out of life?” with “What’s your address?” I can only imagine the disciples standing there, immediately regretting their word choices, wondering if they should just excuse themselves and hide behind John the Baptist for the rest of eternity.

But here’s the beautiful thing: Jesus doesn’t unmatch them. He doesn’t ghost them. He doesn’t even give them that look—you know the one. Instead, Jesus simply says, “Come and see.”

And with those three words, the entire Christian movement begins.

Following Jesus: It Starts With Awkwardness, Not Certainty

The whole salvation story starts with what might be the world’s most uncomfortable conversation. And maybe that’s exactly the point.

If we’re honest, most of us have stumbled into the most important things in our lives exactly like this—awkwardly, uncertainly, without really knowing what we were signing up for. We don’t have eloquent speeches prepared when we:

• Fall in love
• Start a life-changing friendship
• Take a job that transforms everything
• Answer God’s call on our lives

We fumble. We ask silly questions. We aren’t sure what we’re signing up for, but there’s this part of us that says, “I really want to be a part of this.”

What if that’s actually how discipleship is supposed to work?

Understanding the Question: “Where Are You Staying?”

Let’s look closer at what Andrew and the other disciple were really asking Jesus.

These two were already following John the Baptist—he was their teacher, their spiritual guide. They had settled into a rhythm of religious life. Then one day, John points to Jesus and declares, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” And these two disciples just start following a stranger.

They don’t know what being a disciple of the Lamb of God means. They can’t possibly understand they’re getting in line to follow someone to the cross. But they know they need to find out more.

So they ask the only question that comes to mind: “Where are you staying?”

The Journey of Christian Discipleship Begins with Curiosity

Here’s what makes this question brilliant: When you become someone’s disciple, you go where they go, do what they do, stay where they stay, and learn to live like they live. This isn’t a theological question. It isn’t really even about Jesus’ address. It’s a commitment disguised as small talk.

The Gospel Pattern: Invitation Before Understanding

What we see in John’s Gospel challenges everything we usually think about how we’re supposed to come to faith.

Most of the time, we assume we need to have our lives together before we follow Jesus. We think we need to:

• Understand all the theological angles
• Clean up our act (and our language)
• Get our questions answered
• Prove we’re worthy

But that isn’t how it works in John’s Gospel.

These first disciples stumble awkwardly into their calling. They have no idea what “Lamb of God” means—how could they? But Jesus says, “Come and see” anyway.

The invitation comes before the understanding. The belonging happens before the belief.

That’s grace.

What Baptism Really Means

This pattern of grace is what our baptisms signify. God doesn’t wait until we’ve figured everything out and aced the test. God invites us to come and see, to stay with Jesus, and to walk alongside the Messiah—even when we’re stumbling through our discipleship.

The Spirit that descended on Jesus like a dove and “remained” with him? That same Spirit remains with us in our awkwardness, our uncertainty, and our fumbling attempts to follow.

The Best Evangelism Tool the Church Has

So what does this mean for how we share our faith with others?

Maybe the best evangelism strategy isn’t a five-point plan or the most convincing argument. Maybe it’s Andrew’s simple invitation to his brother Simon Peter: “Come and see.”

Maybe it’s about:

• Being present with people where they are
• Making and holding space for questions
• Letting people discover for themselves what it means to be with Jesus
• Inviting them into community before demanding they have it all figured out

The truth is, we’re all stumbling in discipleship together. Despite all the books, programs, and gurus, we’re all asking awkward questions. We’re all trying to figure out where Jesus is staying so we can stay there too.

And the good news—the really, really good news—is that Jesus turns to every single one of us in our fumbling steps and uncertainty and says, “Come and see.”

Your Invitation to Awkward Discipleship

So do that. Come. See. Stay a while.

Stumble awkwardly into this life with God. Bring all your questions—even the hard and weird ones. You don’t need to have everything figured out. You don’t need to be perfect. You don’t even need to know what you’re asking for.

You just need to be curious enough to ask, “Where are you staying?”

And then go tell someone else: “We have found the Messiah. Come and see.”

The rest? That’s up to God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Discipleship begins not with certainty, but curiosity—not with answers, but with an invitation to stay a while and see what happens.

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Share This Message

Did this perspective on following Jesus encourage you? Share this post with someone who needs to know that God welcomes our awkward questions and uncertain first steps. Sometimes the most profound journey of faith begins with the most uncomfortable conversation.

What awkward question is God inviting you to ask today? Leave a comment below and join the conversation.