I don’t know about you, but I’m not particularly good at interviews. Yet they seem to be a part of life, whether for college entrance, grad school, or job applications. For me, probably the toughest question is one everyone seems to ask: Why do you want to come/work here?
Unless you’re being interviewed for your first choice, answering that question can be tricky. You can’t very well say, “Well, I don’t really want to come here, but I do want to go somewhere, so I’m applying here in case no one else will take me.” Most interviewers just don’t seem to appreciate being your last choice.
But Jesus’ standard is even higher; look at His method of interviewing Peter in John 21. At this point, Jesus had already commissioned the disciples (John 20:19-23). But maybe Peter didn’t think it included him—maybe he still felt unworthy after denying Jesus in His hour of need. Whatever the reason, Peter resorted to his old occupation, fishing, and six other disciples went along with him.
Jesus shows up after these fishermen have had a frustrating and fruitless night. Peter was probably tired and aggravated—not in the best of conditions for a job interview. Then Jesus asked him only one question: “Do you love me?” Or, as the NIV translates it, “Do you truly love me?” The entire job interview rested on the answer to this question.
Of course, Jesus was in the habit of doing things differently. He was constantly surprising people with His interpretation of Scripture, with the company He kept, and even with the trainees He chose. But this has to be the strangest job interview ever. If Jesus could boil His job requirements down to one question, why is this the question He would choose to ask?
The reason is simple. God doesn’t need our work at all. He could do everything Himself. That’s what “omnipotent” means. Yet He knows that, like Him, we are happiest when we’re working, creating, and helping. So He entrusts us with part of His work so we can share in His joy. However, we can only do His work joyfully if we have the right underlying motivation: love for Him.
So when our work starts to grate on us—when we’re tired or tired-of (dirty dishes, grumpy people, demanding bosses …)—perhaps it’s time for us to return to that beach where Jesus interviewed Peter and remember why we’re doing the job at all.
Because in God’s eyes, the importance of our job is not based on what we do, but on why we do it. We may do exalted work like brain surgery or rocket science, yet be lowly in God’s eyes because we’re motivated by status. We may even do “pious” work like feeding the hungry or visiting the sick, yet accomplish nothing worthwhile for God—or even harm His work—because we’re motivated by pride, by how others see us.
On the other hand, God may well celebrate the toilet cleaned with a smile or the sidewalk shoveled in secret because the job, though humble, was done out of gratitude to a loving God—who Himself serves even the ungrateful (Matthew 5:45).
“If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;
apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, NIV).