Jesus obviously stirred the hearts of the disciples as the conversation moved from one item to the next. The enlightened conversation with Jesus led the to another question. This time it was the disciples making the inquiry. However, their question really was a statement. They asked, “Where are you staying?” (Jn 1:38) They actually were declaring that they were hooked and wanted to hear more, a lot more.
These first disciples quickly realized that they had a great deal to learn from Jesus. It would take time. They only had an inkling of the real truth. Mere information would not satisfy the emptiness in their hearts. Eventually, they would learn that only a relationship with Jesus held the true answer. Like all relationships, this would demand an investment of time and an openness. In the end, it would require significant personal change. This relationship would lead to a vocation.
Jesus was indeed calling the first disciples. This calling was far more than what we understand by vocation today as a role in the institutional church. The vocation Jesus is revealing is the same for every human being. It is a divine invitation to find the deepest and most real truth about oneself in following Jesus. That is why Jesus’ plan for the first disciples transcends time. Jesus is addressing the call to each of us today when he says, “Come, and you will see.” (Jn 1:39) Jesus knows the human heart was made for God and, in the end, it will only be satisfied and fulfilled when it finds and embraces God.
