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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 were told that when He heard John was put into prison, Jesus left Nazareth and went to Galilee to begin His ministry. He lived in Capernaum, "which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, 'The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by 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.'" Jesus preached as did John: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
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 says that these men had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist, and so were prepared to follow Jesus. Many of Jesus' early disciples were first those of John. We notice the action here, the scene -- they are casting their nets into the sea. We take the common work of man, perhaps in a very elemental sense. Akin to a kind of hunting, they work in the sea and are fishermen, casting their nets for what they can catch. In this image, Christ will call them to work for the kingdom, turning their worldly skills into nets of faith cast into the world among the people. He will make them "fishers of men." Their work will come through His work.
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. The first apostles, those "called" by Christ, are Peter and his brother Andrew. The next are James and John Zebedee. Peter, James and John will form His "inner circle," and be present with Him in particular times of healing and revelation. Here, the brothers, along with their father Zebedee, are mending their nets. We can think of this illustratively, as those who are prepared for the work that will be given them. My study bible says of these first apostles, "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."
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. In these few verses is summed up all of Jesus' activity in His ministry. Matthew teaches us right away of His spreading fame, so that all have heard of Him, from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. These are lands both of mixed races and religions and the central heart of Judaism. My study bible notes, "His miracles bear witness to the presence of the Kingdom and serve as an introduction to the Sermon on the Mount." In the following readings, beginning Monday, we will start reading the Sermon on the Mount.
The revelation of the Kingdom "brought near" happens with Jesus' miracles, or signs, which bear witness to the power of God at work, the Kingdom in the midst of the people, and especially in the person of Jesus. Even before He begins His great work, His ministry, He selects His earliest disciples: Peter and Andrew, and James and John Zebedee. They will become His closest circle. James and John Zebedee's mother, Salome, will also be known in the Gospels. These fishers of men begin as relatives and perhaps friends, known to one another. But in relationship to Christ, all is transformed, used for the growing Kingdom and its revelation in the world. Fishermen become "fishers of men" -- and these sets of brothers and friends becomes family of Christ by adoption, going out to spread this net of the faith and relationship. Christ will call all those who seek the will of the His Father and do it "My brother and sister and mother." The net of faith becomes the net of family by adoption. In this age of networks, let us consider what it is to be part of a net, a network of Spirit, a relatedness in which we all work, in a spiritual sense, in and through one another, growing the "catch" of faith. The fish will become a symbol for the early Christians; the letters of the ancient Greek word for fish (IXTHYS) will form an acronym in the Greek for "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior." We are His by adoption, we are related by faith, a living net of a "great cloud of witnesses." Let us think about nets and networks, what it is to be a part of this growing, expanding Kingdom with all the abundance of the fish in the sea, and how the net interweaves to support, to strengthen, to give us the capacity in the Spirit to grow with, through, and from one another. The prayers of all the faithful become its threads and its weavings, bringing one another to the place we need to be, for His work to be done in us. It is a great net of light, the light of life in abundance.
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 says that these men had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist, and so were prepared to follow Jesus. Many of Jesus' early disciples were first those of John. We notice the action here, the scene -- they are casting their nets into the sea. We take the common work of man, perhaps in a very elemental sense. Akin to a kind of hunting, they work in the sea and are fishermen, casting their nets for what they can catch. In this image, Christ will call them to work for the kingdom, turning their worldly skills into nets of faith cast into the world among the people. He will make them "fishers of men." Their work will come through His work.
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. The first apostles, those "called" by Christ, are Peter and his brother Andrew. The next are James and John Zebedee. Peter, James and John will form His "inner circle," and be present with Him in particular times of healing and revelation. Here, the brothers, along with their father Zebedee, are mending their nets. We can think of this illustratively, as those who are prepared for the work that will be given them. My study bible says of these first apostles, "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."
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. In these few verses is summed up all of Jesus' activity in His ministry. Matthew teaches us right away of His spreading fame, so that all have heard of Him, from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. These are lands both of mixed races and religions and the central heart of Judaism. My study bible notes, "His miracles bear witness to the presence of the Kingdom and serve as an introduction to the Sermon on the Mount." In the following readings, beginning Monday, we will start reading the Sermon on the Mount.
The revelation of the Kingdom "brought near" happens with Jesus' miracles, or signs, which bear witness to the power of God at work, the Kingdom in the midst of the people, and especially in the person of Jesus. Even before He begins His great work, His ministry, He selects His earliest disciples: Peter and Andrew, and James and John Zebedee. They will become His closest circle. James and John Zebedee's mother, Salome, will also be known in the Gospels. These fishers of men begin as relatives and perhaps friends, known to one another. But in relationship to Christ, all is transformed, used for the growing Kingdom and its revelation in the world. Fishermen become "fishers of men" -- and these sets of brothers and friends becomes family of Christ by adoption, going out to spread this net of the faith and relationship. Christ will call all those who seek the will of the His Father and do it "My brother and sister and mother." The net of faith becomes the net of family by adoption. In this age of networks, let us consider what it is to be part of a net, a network of Spirit, a relatedness in which we all work, in a spiritual sense, in and through one another, growing the "catch" of faith. The fish will become a symbol for the early Christians; the letters of the ancient Greek word for fish (IXTHYS) will form an acronym in the Greek for "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior." We are His by adoption, we are related by faith, a living net of a "great cloud of witnesses." Let us think about nets and networks, what it is to be a part of this growing, expanding Kingdom with all the abundance of the fish in the sea, and how the net interweaves to support, to strengthen, to give us the capacity in the Spirit to grow with, through, and from one another. The prayers of all the faithful become its threads and its weavings, bringing one another to the place we need to be, for His work to be done in us. It is a great net of light, the light of life in abundance.
