“Come and See”

Call of the first disciples Jn.1: 43-51

God has no particular address. Wherever he is welcome, he goes and that place or person becomes his address. Andrew and his companion wanted to ask Jesus who he was but in their confusion, they ended up asking, ‘Where do you stay?’ They were confused because Jesus asked them, “What do you want?” They were not prepared with an answer. Like many young people, they wanted something in life but were not sure how to articulate it. However, Jesus knew what they wanted and he did not disappoint them. They went and stayed an afternoon with him and by the end of the day, they would find the answer. They stayed a whole afternoon with Jesus, not because they got A/C accommodation or  good food and drink but because they were beginning to discover who Jesus is and who they are.

The two disciples accepted Jesus’ invitation, “Come and See” and they came to know Jesus in the course of an afternoon. A look from Jesus was enough for Peter to discover who Jesus was. Jesus saw Philip and he too followed him. Jesus saw Nathaniel and he too got up and followed him. An invitation was enough for John and James to leave their nets and their father and for Mathew to leave his  money table and follow him. They had not the least idea of following Jesus. The invitation came when they least expected  and they got up and followed. No wonder Mark in his Gospel says, “He called those whom he wanted.” Mk 3.13

The vocation to follow Jesus, the knowledge of Jesus is a gift.  It is he who finds us. However much we may search, however fast we may run, however high we may climb, we will not find him until he finds us. The Good Shepherd goes in search of the lost sheep. The woman sweeps and finds the lost coin. The prodigal son thought that he by his effort made his way home, he had not noticed that the father ‘ran’ all the way towards him. For every step he took towards the father, his father had taken a hundred steps towards the son. He was limping the father was running.

 Jesus looked at Peter and he was a new man from then. A look from Jesus changed everything. Jesus made his way to Jericho and to the sycamore tree and looked up and saw Zaccheus on the tree and his life was different since then. Bartimeus thought he had run a long way to reach Jesus, he did not know it was Jesus who came all the way from heaven to the gates of Jericho. A fall from the horse and a voice from heaven changed Saul into Paul. An intense look from Jesus is enough to change our world. In the story of the call of the first disciples the word ‘saw’ is repeated over eight times. It is God who looks, sees, invites, and we just follow. The intensity of the encounter is more important than the length of time we have spent with him.

We so often hear that the Catechumens must have a year or two before they are accepted as members of the Church. Who are we to decide if Christ looks on them and calls them? The purity of their call, the intensity of their desire, and the depth of their encounter with Christ are more important than just attendance and the number of years. Often it is those who have no encounter with Jesus who impose longer durations. Judas had three years with Jesus, and he refused even the last offer of Jesus. Dipping the bread in the dish and giving it to Judas was Jesus’ desperate last invitation for an encounter with him.

It is God who sees and calls. The vocation to be a Christian is a gift. We will discover our vocation better if we can spend a little time on the vocation story of the first disciples and ponder over these words, ‘ he saw’, ‘he looked’ ‘he found’, and ‘they followed’. His invitation is to “Come and See”. If we follow his invitation like Nathaniel we will “see greater things”  and “see heaven opened.” 

                 -        Fr TVGeorge sdb, 5 January 2024,