Being and Doing
When you first meet someone and you go through the customary introduction routine, getting someone’s name and fun facts; we usually hear about a person’s job or what they do. For example, I could introduce myself as Sarah Bowling, I’m a mom to three great kids, I do non-profit work, I teach the Bible, I enjoy pickleball, I write books, etc.
When someone asks us about ourselves, we often give an answer that’s related to what we do as a profession: student, in-between jobs, teacher and things like that. If we are trying to get to know someone, it might be helpful to know their profession. But, knowing a person far exceeds knowing what they do. Human doing isn’t the same as human being.
It’s important to consider this and digest the truth that Jesus prioritized a person’s identity over their actions, functions, professions, achievements and failures. In thinking about this, let’s look at Jesus’ words and actions with Peter (Simon), in Luke 5:1-11 during probably their first interaction. These verses show us that Jesus was aware of Peter’s profession, as a fisherman. Indeed, after Jesus had borrowed Peter’s boat to speak to a large crowd, He instructed Peter (Simon) to set out his boat again to catch fish. Peter reluctantly did this and caught a massive haul of fish. Upon such a miraculous catch, Peter falls at Jesus’ feet and Jesus says that if Peter follows Him, He will make Peter a fisher of men.
Throughout this exchange, it’s easy to focus on Peter’s profession as a fisherman and Jesus’ supernatural empowerment for the incredible catch of fish. But I’d like to point out that in Luke 5:1-11, Pete’s name, Simon, is used six times in these verses. In thinking about how much Peter’s name is used, I’m reminded about Jesus’ words in John 10:3b where Jesus says, “ . . ., and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
In this first exchange between Peter (Simon) and Jesus, we see Peter leaving his profession to follow Jesus. In the last exchange between Peter and Jesus, Peter again leaves his fishing and participates in a conversation with Jesus in John 21:15-17. In these verses, Jesus begins each of His questions with Peter’s name, “Simon, do you love Me?”
I’m bringing all of this to your attention because it’s important that we know that Jesus values our identity and personhood far more than our functions, achievements, profession, etc. This is significant because it can often be very appealing to get caught up in doing, serving, achieving and productivity during our walk with God. Of course, it’s good to accomplish for sure. But let’s recognize that Jesus calls us by name (our identity) and that’s how we recognize our Shepherd’s voice. To Jesus, our identity is far more valuable than our profession or achievements! Human being is more important than human doing.