Come see ‘what Jesus taught, what he did, how he lived …’

Do you feel “called” to what you do? It’s an interesting expression, isn’t it?

It can mean the thing we feel most drawn to, and the thing we are best at, and the thing we most enjoy, and the thing that gives us the most satisfaction.

But it might not necessarily feel like all those things.

Sometimes, I suppose, it’s the thing we feel compelled to do without really knowing why.

That’s rather how the story of Jesus calling the first disciples strikes me.

At least, the story we know from Mark, Matthew and Luke. That’s the most familiar one: Jesus sees the fisherman at the lakeshore and tells them to follow him, for he will make them fish for people.

“And immediately they left their nets and followed him.” (Mark 1:18)

While the imagery of hooking people and reeling them in might have a negative connotation for some, I think we get the idea. The thing is that the first disciples seem to literally drop what they’re doing without really knowing why.

The author of Luke embellishes the story a bit, with Jesus teaching the crowd from a boat and demonstrating his power by directing the fishermen’s empty nets to a great catch.

Still, it’s about Jesus’ authority. That’s why the disciples followed: Jesus commanded it.

But the gospel of John tells the story differently. (John 1:35-51)

Here, the first to follow Jesus are already followers of John the Baptist, the one who called people to repent because the Messiah was coming. It’s John who points Jesus out to them.

They follow him around until Jesus asks them what they’re looking for, and then invites them to “come and see” what he’s doing.

Before you know it, one of them is already telling someone else to “come and see.” (John 1:46)

I don’t mean to get into the debate, here, of the historical era of the different gospels, what influenced the writers and their purpose in their day, or even the primacy of one gospel over another.

But I wonder if, for our 21st century lives, the model of “come and see what I’m doing” isn’t better than “do this because I told you to.”

The divinity of Jesus — the “Word made flesh” (John 1:14) — was important to the author of John.

With that authority established in the first few verses of the gospel, I wonder if he or she saw that we can live like Jesus, but we’re not Jesus, and therefore the authority of Jesus is not our authority.

I wonder if, instead, he or she thought, what if — right from the start of his ministry — Jesus said “come and see” or “let me show you.”

Come and see, and then, do.

After all, he or she also wrote that, at the end of his time with us, Jesus said, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so must you love one another.” (John 13:34)

Live as I have shown you to live, and share that with others. I’m not Jesus. I follow Jesus and would like to be better at living like Jesus. Always. But I’m not Jesus. I believe that Jesus is in me, just as Jesus is in you. But I’m not Jesus. I’m me, too.

The best I can say is “come and see” what Jesus taught, what he did, how he lived, because this, I believe, is how God wants us to live our lives together.

Come and see.