"Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men"

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. Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 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, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

- Matthew 4:18-25

In yesterday's reading, we read of Jesus going into Galilee to begin His public ministry. It is not His hometown of Nazareth from which He begins to preach, but He makes His headquarters Capernaum. He begins to preach as John the Baptist did, teaching the need for repentance before the coming kingdom. This is the fulfillment of the words of the Prophet Isaiah: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned."

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. Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed Him. My study bible explains that these men have already heard the preaching of John the Baptist, which has prepared them to accept the Messiah immediately. It is possible that the call to become "fishers of men" is the second time Jesus has called them. (Luke's gospel reports this was said to Peter and his friends James and John Zebedee.) We note that these first disciples are brothers.

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, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. And two more brothers join Him -- also those who have already heard the message of John the Baptist. All of these brothers, the earliest followers, will play tremendous roles as apostles. My study bible says, "As His disciples, Jesus chooses men who have not been trained in any sacred school, most of whom are unlearned and illiterate, considered by the various religious groups within Judaism as 'people of the land,' or peasants. At Pentecost these men will be revealed to be the wisest of all, by the power of the Holy Spirit." John Zebedee alone will go on to write so many works that the Church would include in the New Testament: the Gospel of John, three Epistles, and the Revelation. The mother of the brothers Zebedee, Salome, will also be present at Jesus' crucifixion, having followed Him with other women from Galilee.

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Here is a 'summary' of Jesus' preaching in Galilee and the spread of His fame. My study bible says, "His miracles bear witness to the presence of the Kingdom and serve as an introduction to the Sermon on the Mount" (which will begin in the following readings). We note the presence of the type of language we remarked upon as we went through the Gospel of Mark: the affliction of diseases and torments, the demon-possessed and those with ailments such as epilepsy and paralysis. Everywhere we read of the presence of the kingdom as that which is here to spread a balm of mercy; that which torments and afflicts humanity is the kingdom of the demonic, disease is grouped with this evil that is not of the kingdom of love and healing He seeks to bring.

Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. His early ministry takes His fame everywhere. The Decapolis (which means "Ten Cities" in Greek) was a region comprised of cities of Greek and Roman culture, in a land that was otherwise populated with Semitic peoples. So, essentially, what we have is a description of Jesus' ministry going through all of these regions, and touching upon centers of trade and empire linked to the rest of the world through language, custom and influence. His ministry also extends to the regions at the heart of Jewish culture.

Jesus plants the seeds, from which grow great influence and public ministry. His first choices as disciples are fishermen, two sets of brothers. Peter, James and John will form His inner circle of those who are with Him in great moments of both the high and the low, as we will read in the gospel: of healings, exaltation and glory, and great distress in the garden at Gethsemane. But from these first choices among those who have already heard the preaching of John the Baptist, will spread a tremendous word through His early ministry. Everyone has to sit up and take notice, and -- it is implied here -- the centers of Jewish religious life must eventually also take notice in Jerusalem, and in the court of Herod Antipas, until Jesus is eventually brought before Pilate. But for now, we are prepared to hear His ministry in the future readings, as we delve into the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew will give us a great taste of His ministry as we move on into His preaching. Let us think about this for ourselves: from what small seeds do you begin a work? What is available to you? It is "good enough" -- perhaps it is "just the thing" in a sacramental beginning. Let us consider the miracle of faith, and what it brings, as we start where we are, with God's help, and go forward with prayer and the Spirit to assist us. Jesus' humble beginnings are always the great lesson to us all. And perhaps you, too, are called. The brothers here go from fishing for one thing, to fishing for something far greater.