Matthew 4 - Fishers of Men

The Calling of the First Disciples
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

These few words record the beginning of an incredible movement: followers of Christ. Although it may appear from this paragraph that Simon and Andrew followed Jesus after only one encounter, John (chapter 1) records that they had heard Jesus preaching, they recognized Him as Messiah and they had spoken to Him prior to this encounter. They weren't caught up in the moment but rather they made their bold move to leave their nets knowing who they were following.

Micheal Green writes this about the fishermen ...

"Rough and ready they may have been, but they had the courage and decisiveness necessary to make these sacrifices and to follow Jesus, a step that proved too costly for the religious and the educated. There may have been something about fishermen, too, that made them particularly suitable for the 'fishing for people' that they would be doing in future. A good fisherman in those waters needs courage, for dangerous squalls erupt on that treacherous lake. He needs perseverance, patience and flexibility in the use of different methods (three types of fishing-net were used). He must keep himself unobtrusive so as not to frighten the fish away, and he must have a sense of timing. All these qualities were essential in the new kind of fishing to which this landsman introduced them."

Courage, perseverence, patience, flexibility, unobtrusiveness, and a sense of timing: these are the qualities of a good fisherman and qualities Jesus helped these men hone in their ministry with Him.

Simon and Andrew, James and John. These men were among the first people to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ! I find that an amazing thought. Called by Jesus they were invited to share life with Him, to learn from His words and His actions and to be challenged to partake in the task of sharing the gospel!

Isn't this what we long for?

Amazingly, isn't this what Jesus calls us to?

I was thinking about this earlier and wondering if anyone would feel - of if I feel at times - that these men were more fortunate than those of us in this century. They could see Jesus. They could ask Him things and hear his voice answer. They could witness His healing ministry; see His miracles.

Would you have liked to have been there?

In the midst of my pondering I was drawn to the thought that today, right now, I inhabit the Holy Spirit, while at the same time I am able to rest in Him, abide in Him. As tightly knit as a branch is woven into a tree, so we are in Christ.

John reminds us of this ...

John 15:4
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

Whether we have the qualities the burly fishermen had or not, Christ still calls us into a relationship with Him; to share in His ministry. Amazingly, as we remain in Him we miraculously find that we do have the courage, perseverence, patience, flexibility, unobtrusiveness, and sense of timing needed to be fishers of men.

As I've pondered these verses the following song has been running through my head. Its words cause me to hear the voice of the Saviour ... "Come, follow me..."

Do you hear Him?


"By the peaceful shores of Galilea,
Mending their nets by the silvery sea,
The fishermen toiled at their tasks each day.
Till the Master walked along that way.

Follow thou me, he calls again,
And I will make you fishers of men;
As in the days by Galilea,
Jesus is calling you and me."