We're all the rejects that Jesus called anyway. Every single one of us. The people who think they're qualified and the people who know they're not. The people who've been following Jesus for decades and the people who just started exploring faith. The people who have their theology figured out and the people who are still full of questions.
Not everyone who reads about Jesus tearing down barriers to following him feels liberated. Some people feel exposed. Because some of us aren't trying to decide if other people are qualified. We're trying to figure out if we're qualified. We're not rebuilding barriers to keep others out. We're standing outside the barriers wondering if we'll ever be good enough to get in.
Jesus doesn't call people who have it all together. Jesus calls people who are falling apart. Jesus doesn't choose people who meet the qualifications. Jesus chooses people who've been disqualified. Jesus doesn't wait for people to prove they're worthy. Jesus calls them anyway.
"Come and see." That's all Jesus said to his first disciples. Not "prove yourself." Not "convince me you're worthy." Not "pass this test." Just "come and see." There's something profound in this simple invitation. Because "come and see" means you don't have to have it all figured out before you start following Jesus.
When we read about Jesus calling his first disciples in John 1, we need to understand how different this was from the normal system. Jesus doesn't examine their credentials. He doesn't ask them to prove themselves. He doesn't test their knowledge of Torah. He just says, "Come and see." So Jesus removed the barriers to becoming a disciple.
