Walking
by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers for 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. They immediately left the boat and their father, and followed him.
Matthew 4:18-22
Matthew 4 [17.] From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 4 [18.] Walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men.”
Matthew 4 [20.] 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. They immediately left the boat and their father, and followed him.
Matthew 4 [23.] Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. The report about him went out into all Syria. They brought to him all who were sick, afflicted with various diseases and torments, possessed with demons, epileptics, and paralytics; and he healed them. Great multitudes from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and from beyond the Jordan followed him.
Meaning:
Jesus had just begun preaching in Galilee, “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). His first recorded action after that is to call people to follow him. The King gathers his first disciples, four fishermen from the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Mark tells the same story in almost the same words (Mark 1:16-17; Mark 1:18-20).
- “Walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers”
The Sea of Galilee is a freshwater lake about thirteen miles long, and fishing was a major trade in the towns around it. Simon and Andrew were working when Jesus came by, throwing a circular casting net into the water. This was not their first meeting with Jesus. John’s Gospel records that Andrew had earlier heard John the Baptizer point to Jesus, and then brought his brother to him; Jesus gave Simon the name Cephas, or Peter (John 1:40-42). Now Jesus called them to leave their work and follow him permanently.
- “Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men.”
In those days students usually chose a rabbi to follow. Jesus reverses this: he chooses and calls his disciples. His call has two parts. “Come after me” is an invitation to a relationship, to live with him, learn from him and imitate him. “I will make you” is a promise: Jesus himself would shape them. He took their familiar skills and gave them a new purpose. Instead of catching fish, they would gather people into God’s Kingdom. On the day of Pentecost, Peter’s preaching brought about three thousand people to faith (Acts 2:41).
- “They immediately left their nets and followed him”
The word “immediately” appears twice in these verses. Their response was wholehearted and without delay. James and John left not only their boat but also “their father”, Zebedee. Following Jesus came before even family business and family ties. Later Peter would say, “Behold, we have left all, and have followed you”, and Jesus promised that no one who leaves home or family for his sake will lose out (Mark 10:28; Mark 10:29-30).
- “James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother”
These four would become the leading apostles. Peter, James and John formed an inner circle who were with Jesus at key moments. Jesus nicknamed James and John “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). They were ordinary working men, not scholars or priests. The religious leaders later noticed that Peter and John “were unlearned and ignorant men”, yet they recognised “that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).
The Significance of Matthew 4:18-22
- Jesus calls ordinary people
Jesus did not start with the powerful or the educated. He called fishermen at work. He still calls ordinary people in the middle of everyday life, and he still promises, “I will make you”.
- Following means leaving
Every disciple must leave something behind: old priorities, habits or securities. Paul counted “all things to be a loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). What we leave is small compared with what we gain.
- Every follower is sent
To follow Jesus is to share in his mission of bringing others to him. Our skills and experience can become tools for drawing people into his Kingdom.
Cross-References:
Mark 1:16-17: "Come after me, and I will make you into fishers for men." Mark’s account of the call.
John 1:40-42: "We have found the Messiah!" Andrew brings Simon to Jesus.
Mark 10:28: "Behold, we have left all, and have followed you." Peter looks back on the cost of following.
Acts 4:13: "They recognized that they had been with Jesus." The fishermen transformed into apostles.
Conclusion: Matthew 4:18-22 tells how Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, called the fishermen Simon Peter and Andrew, and then James and John, to follow him. He promised to make them fishers for men, and they immediately left their nets, their boat and their father to follow him. The passage shows that Jesus calls ordinary people, asks for wholehearted commitment and gives them a share in his mission.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible