He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19 NABRE
Matthew is telling the story of Jesus calling His first disciples. They are professional fishermen, perhaps carrying on the family fishing business. They use circular nets, weighed around the edge, that they throw from a standing position into shallow waters. The nets should catch large shoals of fish to be sold at the fish markets. Simon and Andrew are the first to be called. Typically it is the student that seeks out the Rabbi to learn from him. This is done the other way around, the Rabbi is choosing His students. Their reactions seem unbelievable; they drop their nets and set out following Jesus, who promises to make them fishers of men. Jesus is forming disciples to be like Himself, to reach out and “catch” other people to be drawn into the community, the place of hope. The area in which they were fishing was an area familiar to Jesus because it was near where he grew up. We are reading about the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, according to the writing of Matthew, but Jesus must have had a reputation in the area for these two men to drop their life’s work and follow. In fact Jesus walks further along the shore and sees James and John and calls them. They drop everything and immediately follow. These four men display radical faith, disrupting their entire life to do something they have never done nor know how to do. They had faith in Jesus from the very beginning.
This is the faith we are challenged to have as followers of Jesus. We should be ready to drop everything and do as we are asked. Somehow we find it possible these four men can drop everything, but it is unlikely it’s anything we would do ourselves. This is the faith that is required of us as disciples.
Would you quit your job and go follow Jesus? Do you trust that in Jesus hands your life will be secure and full?
The first four Apostles are men who display radical faith, disrupting their entire life to do something they have never done nor know how to do. They had faith in Jesus from the very beginning. Click To Tweet#bible #godisgreat #jesus #christianity#dailybibleverse @youversion#BeAnEncourager #call #faith#Matthew #everybodyalways #god#jesuschrist #jesussaves #godisgood#dailydevotion #biblestudy #scripture#bibleverse #verseoftheday #pray#prayer #goodnews #loveeachother#godisgreat