The King Calls Fishermen
Matthew 4:18-25
Inspired by the Holy Spirit to write his Gospel, Matthew has shown Jesus as the Messiah-King who fulfilled Scripture. He has foreshadowed Jesus’ rejection and the hostility that would arise against Him. He has depicted Jesus as the Coming One, prophesied by John the Baptist, who will combine the Old Testament roles of royal Son and suffering Servant and who will not use His divine power to circumvent the way of the cross. With this introduction to Jesus’ person and mission, the ministry for which He was baptized and commissioned can now begin.[1]
God had commissioned Jesus (Matt. 3:17), the devil had tested Him (Matt. 4:3–11), the forerunner had completed His mission (4:12), Jesus had settled in Capernaum of Galilee (Matt. 4:12–16), and He began his public ministry (Matt. 4:17). Jesus’ message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matt. 4:17) summarized Jesus’ proclamation of the Messiah-King’s authority.
Now in our passage today, Jesus calls men to follow Him. Later these men would be called disciples and apostles (Matt. 10:1-2). They will be those who follow Jesus (Matt. 4:19-20), learn from Him (Matt. 5:1-2), and who will be sent out by Him (Matt. 10:5; 28:18-20). Matthew 4:18–22 demonstrate the proper response to the royal Messiah Jesus. Then as Jesus carries out His ministry in Matthew 4:23–25 Matthew demonstrates the nature of Jesus’ ministry and His authority over sickness and demons.[2]
Matthew doesn’t tell how Jesus called each of the twelve disciples or apostles, just these four and later his own calling in Matthew 9. But this account is representative of those who will be disciples of Jesus. Jesus’ calling these four disciples (Matt. 4:18-22) and the summary of Jesus’ ministry (Matt. 4:23-25) set a pattern for disciples Jesus. It is Matthew’s explanation of what a disciple is and what following Jesus means.[3]
Listen to our scripture text for today:
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.
23 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. 24 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. 25 Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
So our outline today will focus on three aspects of discipleship that we see in this text: following, forming, and fishing.[4] Being a disciple of Jesus means:
1. Following
Matthew 4:18 says, “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.” At first glance we might assume that this is Jesus’ first encounter with these two brothers, but Gospel of John tells us that at least Andrew was a follower of John the Baptist. He and another disciple (probably John, son of Zebedee) were there when John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” (John 1:36). These two then followed Jesus, Andrew brought his brother Simon to Jesus, and they spent the evening with Him (John 1:37-42). The next day Jesus called Phillip and Nathanael (John 1:43-51). On the third day they all attended a wedding with Jesus in Cana where He turned the water into wine and John 2:11 tells us, “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.”
Sometime after that event it is apparent that these disciples returned to their homes and their fishing business. Jesus also later returned home to Nazareth, taught in their synagogue, and they tried to throw Him off a cliff (Luke 4:16-30). Then as Matthew has told us in Matthew 4:13, Jesus “came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea.” We know that Jesus went and stayed with Peter and healed his mother-in-law (Luke 4:38-39). Luke also tells us about Jesus teaching the crowd from Peter’s boat and about the miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5:1-11). So at this point, these disciples are fairly well acquainted with Jesus. They have seen Him work miraculous signs and they believed in Him.
Matthew leaves all of that out of his Gospel and instead gives a brief account of Jesus calling these disciples. Matthew simply wants you to see that Jesus called and His disciples followed. He wants you to be amazed at the authority Jesus and the immediate, total response of the disciples.
Matthew shows Jesus calling two sets of brothers—Simon Peter and Andrew in Matthew 4:18-20, then James and John in Matthew 4:21-22). Both callings follow the same outline. First, Jesus comes and sees them at work (Matt. 4:18, 21); second, Jesus calls them to follow Him (Matt. 4:19, 21); and third, they obey immediately (Matt. 4:20, 22).
In both cases, we see basically the same thing occurring. As two fishermen are engaged in some aspect of their daily work, Jesus walks by and observes them. In both cases the Scripture says, He “saw two…brothers” (Matt. 4:18, 21). Andrew and Peter were “casting a net”; James and John were “mending their nets.” He called them while they were busy at work, engaged in their everyday activities. They were just doing the things that fishermen do.
Notice that Jesus did not call professionally trained rabbis from Judea (who might have had a lot to unlearn first) to be His disciples. He called fishermen. If God called shepherds like Moses and David to shepherd His people Israel, Jesus could call fishermen to be gatherers of people.[5]
Notice also that it was Jesus who called them. They did not ask to be Jesus’ disciples. Jesus called them Himself. He did not ask a question: ‘Would you like to follow Me?’ or ‘Are you willing to follow Me?’ He looks at them and commands, “Follow Me.” It is not time to quibble about the nature of His call or what our plans might be or how we have other interests. Jesus calls with authority and He demands an immediate response.
It was not unusual in the first century for men to follow a rabbi as his disciples. But it was unheard of for a rabbi to call men to himself! Normally a prospective disciple sought out the rabbi and asked to be taught by him. But the Bible shows that men in the darkness of sin do not seek after Jesus Christ. They love darkness rather than the Light. They do not come to the Light because to do so would expose their evil deeds (John 3:19-20).[6] So Jesus does the calling, He does the choosing. Jesus would later say to the twelve, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit” (John 15:16). Jesus singled out Peter and Andrew, and then James and John. The call to discipleship was an unconditional, unexplained command, not a polite, reasoned invitation.
Listen to His call: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). “Follow me” is literally come after me. In early Jewish writings, the description of a follower of a rabbi was that he was to “cover himself in the dust of [the rabbi’s] feet.” In other words he was to follow so closely behind the rabbi that he would walk in the dust stirred up by the rabbi’s sandals! The picture was of the disciple walking so closely that he might be able to watch and imitate his every word and action.[7] These disciples literally followed, they came after Jesus.
We live in a day and age when “following” may mean nothing more than receiving someone’s updates on social media. Following Jesus means so much more. He summons us to a life-altering, identity-changing way of life in which we become learners, apprentices, disciples. His life and teaching will become the new normal for our lives.[8]
Being a disciple of Jesus means following. The second thing I want you to see is that being a disciple of Jesus means:
2. Forming
After Jesus says, “Follow Me,” He then says, “and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). Jesus makes a play on words based on Simon and Andrew’s occupation. Just as fishermen gather fish from the sea, His disciples will gather other individuals who follow Jesus. Jesus used metaphors quite often, and what better metaphor to use with men skilled in fishing than one on fishing.
And notice that Jesus did not say, ‘Follow Me, and hopefully you will become fishers of men,’ or ‘Follow Me, and some of you will become fishers of men.’ Jesus did not command them to become “fishers of men.” He commanded them to follow and said, “I will make you fishers of men.” Jesus did not draft them because they were “fishers of men.” He made them “fishers of men.” And you cannot make yourself a fisher of men. Jesus does the forming in you. Jesus Christ has assumed this as a divine obligation.
Jesus is saying, “You know how to fish for fish, but I will so work in you that your energies will be turned toward fishing for men. You fish for that which is perishable but I will change you, and mold you, and transform you so that you will be used in reaching men for eternity. You cannot do this yourself. You know how to catch fish but you do not know how to fish for men. I must work that in you.”
Discipleship is the process of Jesus Christ training followers to be fishers of men. How does Jesus do this? By modeling it for them. Look at Jesus’ ministry:
23 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. 24 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. 25 Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. (Matt. 4:23-25).
Jesus modeled three aspects of the gospel ministry. First, He preached the gospel f the kingdom (Matt. 4:17, 23). The word for “preaching” was used to describe the work of the herald in a Greek city. It involved bold, clear, challenging proclamation. When the herald had something to proclaim, people had better listen. It was important. It came with authority.
Secondly, Jesus gave Himself to teaching (Matt. 4:23). This is what He does in the next three chapters of Matthew, teaching His disciples by explaining the scriptures, clearing up misunderstandings, and changing attitudes. Teaching is directed primarily towards informing the mind; preaching towards reaching the will.
And thirdly, Jesus healed. He healed every kind of illness, demonic influence and paralysis. He ministered to people’s physical needs. Both Scripture and Jewish tradition take sickness as resulting directly or indirectly from living in a fallen world (cf. on Matt. 8:17). The Messianic Kingdom would end such grief (Isa 11:1–5; 35:5–6). Therefore, Jesus’ miracles, dealing with every kind of ailment, not only herald the kingdom but show that God will so completely solve the problem of sin that ultimate healing will come in the consummation of the kingdom (cf. Mt 1:21; 8:17).[9]
Kingdom ministry embraces preaching, teaching and healing. Wherever the church is truly carrying out the work of the kingdom, those three strands—challenging preaching, clear teaching and healing (of physical disease, inner hurts and grip by dark forces)—will be seen.[10]
When we follow the story of the disciples in the book of Acts, we do not find the disciples using gimmicks or trickery or slick techniques or deceitful schemes. They preached, taught, and they healed, and thus fished for men. Everywhere they were scattered they fished for men. And why did they do this? It is because Jesus Christ had made them fishers of men. He formed them through His preaching and teaching and modeling of God’s truth and love.
Being a disciple is following Jesus. It is forming by Jesus into His likeness. And finally, it is fishing for Jesus.
3. Fishing
Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). The metaphor “fishers of men” glances back to the work of these fishermen. It may also be reminiscent of Jeremiah 16:16. There the Lord God, Yahweh, sends alien “fishermen” to gather His people for the Exile; here Jesus sends “fishermen” to announce the end of the Exile (Matt. 1:11–12; 2:17–18) and the beginning of the messianic reign.[11] They would go out with the same message about the Kingdom of heaven as Jesus preached (Matt. 10:7).
Fishing was more than an occupation for these men; it was their life. To abandon their nets was to leave behind what they had been brought up to do. They likely began fishing at an early age. It was talked about at the table. It was the discussion in social gatherings. Their friends were fishermen; their families were fishermen. Yet the call of Jesus Christ caused them to abandon their heritage and livelihood for a new occupation, following Christ and fishing for men. They were called for a purpose. That purpose was to be fishers of men.
Notice their response—Peter and Andrew: “They immediately left their nets and followed Him” (Matt. 4:20); James and John: “and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him” (Matt. 4:22). Matthew wants you to see that these men did not hesitate. It was the Lord who commanded them, they obeyed immediately.
And you will notice that their obedience meant sacrifice. “They left their nets”; “They left the boat and their father.” It’s not that Jesus has anything against fishing nets, or against Zebedee. But you couldn’t carry your nets around if you were going to follow Jesus. James and John couldn’t drag their father in a boat and follow Jesus. It wasn’t that Jesus demanded that they get rid of those things, It was that they couldn’t keep them and follow Jesus where He was going.
Many a missionary has learned this lesson, as they left their homes and possessions and family behind to go and live on the mission field. Jesus will later say to His disciples,
37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. (Matt. 10:37-39)
There is nothing wrong with stuff. There is nothing wrong with family and friends. Just make sure that stuff and people don’t keep you from following Jesus. If it does, leave it on the sand and follow. These men did, and the rest is history.
The Rich Young Ruler, as we call him, could not follow Christ because he would not leave his covetous lifestyle (Matt. 19:16-22). So many prosperous Americans have heard the gospel, and even indicated a profession, but have not left the love of things to follow Christ. Has this not been an area that has crippled the witness of the gospel in America? Who wants to listen to the gospel from people who live no differently than the world? Spurgeon was right, “I believe that one reason why the church of God at this present moment has so little influence over the world is because the world has so much influence over the church” [vol. 32, 339].
This morning I want to encourage you, follow Jesus. Leave anything behind that will hinder your walk with Him. Learn from Jesus. Let Him form you into His likeness. Become a fisher of men. Be a disciple who disciples others. This is our calling. Jesus is our Lord. Follow Him. Be formed by Him. Fish for Him.
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[1] Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 88.
[2] Craig S. Keener, Matthew, vol. 1, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), Mt 4:17–22.
[3] Robert S. Rayburn, What is a Christian?, https://www.faithtacoma.org/matthew/2003-11-09-am accessed 07/24/2022
[4] https://willowdalechapel.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2018/08/CALL-discussion-guide-2.pdf accessed 07/22/2022
[5] Craig S. Keener, Matthew, vol. 1, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), Mt 4:19.
[6] Phil Newton, Fishers of Men, http://archive.southwoodsbc.org/sermons/matthew_04.18-22.php Copyright South Woods Baptist Church. Website: www.southwoodsbc.org. Used by permission as granted on web site.
[7] Bruce Hurt, Commentary on Matthew 4, https://www.preceptaustin.org/matthew-4-commentary#4:18 accessed 07/24/2022
[8] https://willowdalechapel.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2018/08/CALL-discussion-guide-2.pdf accessed 07/22/2022
[9] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 121–122.
[10] Michael Green, The Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 86–87.
[11] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 119.
