Matthew 4:18-22

¹⁸ And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰ They immediately left their nets and followed Him. ²¹ Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.


Commentary

At this point in Jesus’ early ministry life He is still just One Man, but that is all about to change as He sets out to find the disciples whom He had already chosen for Himself; the men whom He will reveal the deep secrets and profound mysteries about the Kingdom of God and Himself. These men then whom the Lord will call Apostles will be His chosen and exclusive preachers and proclaimers of His Person, Word, and Work that is until the Holy Spirit’s outpouring at Pentecost, whereupon each and everyone one of us from that time forward who believe in Him have now become as the Lord Jesus Christ said we would be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:4-8), who will likewise bring and bear His Person, His Word, His Work, His love, His light so as to make disciples of His Person everywhere. And so unknown to them as the Lord Jesus is walking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus as He sees the brothers, Simon Peter and His brother Andrew casting a net into the sea will call them to Himself (vs. 18). Now this is not the first time Jesus met them (see John 1:35-42), but it will be the first time that the Lord Jesus will call them to Himself. Now Jesus’ call to them is simple and to the point, for He simply says to them: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Therefore Jesus promises them nothing other than He will make them fishers of men. And with that Simon Peter and Andrew his brother (and later the brothers James and John, vs. 21-22) will all immediately leave their nets and follow Him. Now as already stated this was not the first time Jesus met them, and so what takes place here is what Jesus’ had already prepared them both for, and that is to forsake their lives and become His disciples. Now notice that there isn’t any coercion, nor is there any promises spoken by Jesus to them about making them something great and grand, or rich and wealthy etc.
Instead like with us all Jesus only promises them that if they follow Him He will make them “fishers of men.” No longer then will they spend their lives in a meaningless pursuit of seeking to fill empty baskets with perishable fish. Instead Jesus will make them men by whom God will redeem souls and restore lives back to Himself!, Which is the most gratifying work that anyone can do, because when one enters into God’s purposes for themselves (to be His disciple and to make His disciples) they find their persons and lives filled and fulfilled with God’s eternal purposes and plans. There is then nothing greater for us who have already forsaken our own lives to do, then to seek and do what it is God created us In Christ to do. And so once again with Jesus’ call to follow Him, Simon Peter and Andrew his brother don’t hesitate, but immediately they leave their nets and they follow Him, because they knew in their hearts only Jesus could give them what would fully satisfy them. The question then is will you? (see Mark 8:36-9:1).

Scripture Quotations

The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.