Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, being interpreted, Teacher), "where are you staying?"
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.