When Jesus sought his first disciples, the invitation didn’t come with a test or a trial. There was nothing to prove. He didn’t accept resumes or conduct interview or call references.
To be fair, who knows if these men would have jumped through those kinds of hoops before deciding to follow this man Jesus.
But what Jesus offered was an invitation. It was an enticement.
Have you looked everywhere but have yet to find it? Did you think you found it once but it turns out you were not as fulfilled as you’d hoped? Is it proving elusive? Are you finding yourself wanting more? Are you trying to force someone to be it for you – your husband? Your kids? Did you think you’d find it in the perfect job? The perfect home? The perfect weight?
What are you looking for?
Could it possibly be him?
Jesus didn’t really promise anything. He didn’t sell himself to the disciples either. He just invites them to come along and find out who he is and what he’s about. He’s confident he will win them over. He knows he is exactly what they need.
In him, they would find what they were looking for. Won’t we too? What will we see when we truly see him?
And truly we do. We see the Word become flesh, our sins paid for on a tree, the resurrection of life, the Spirit come down on mankind, the face of our God. We see abundance and grace and compassion and mercy. We see love overwhelming. We see light overcome the darkness. We see the power in meekness and the absolute authority of our God. We see victory, sure and final.
We are ushered into the eternal, to a kingdom we can’t see but that is our home and our family. We are marked and sealed with an invisible but powerful Spirit that is ours forever. We become living stones in a growing church. We are washed clean.
We do see greater things, not always big but always greater – the shifting of our hearts, the choice for humility, the forgiveness of others.
All of it wrapped up in the “Come and you’ll see” invitation of Jesus.
Jesus, keep my eyes open and my mind alert. I want to see. I want to be looking, searching for you always, finding you in the great and in the small, but always finding you. What am I looking for? I’m looking for you, Jesus.
And in seeing you, I find all my heart has longed for, everything I’ve ever needed, and all my eternity. I find purpose and passion and meaning. I find worth and my true identity. I find the love of my life, a life that becomes eternal through you. I find home.
And finally, I’m not looking for anything else. I’m just looking to keep my eyes on you.
