We are looking in Luke 5 where Jesus is in the process of calling
His first group of disciples to follow Him. Jesus is in the boat with Peter and
Andrew. James and John are in their boat alongside them catching the largest
number of fish they have ever caught in their professional commercial fishing business.
Now Jesus is asking them to leave that and follow Him.
When you read this passage in Luke 5 and compare it to what
Matthew wrote in Matthew 4 you might notice it appears to be somewhat different.
Matthew 4:18-25 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.”
I personally believe that Matthew is speaking about an earlier
meeting Jesus has with these four men when He first begins His ministry in the
region of Galilee. If you remember in John’s Gospel in chapter one, Jesus
initially met John, Andrew, and Peter at His baptism in the Jordan River by John
the Baptizer. We could call this, “their salvation experience”. They then when back
up to their fishing business in Galilee. But from the Jordan, Jesus went into
the wilderness and was tempted by the devil for forty days. It was after His
temptation that Jesus then when up to the region of Galilee and again connected
to these four men as Matthew describes it.
The brothers Peter and Andrew, James and John, were back fishing
when Jesus walks upon them and gives them the call to “Follow Me”, which
they did. They went with Him throughout the region of Galilee watching Him
healing the sick, catching out demons, and teaching in the synagogues. Now in
Luke’s Gospel, they have returned to Capernaum with the crowds following them
and this is where these four men returned to their fishing business and a night
of fishing where they caught nothing.
It is here that Jesus performs the miracle of calling a
great number of fish into their nets and then giving to then telling them, “"Do
not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." So when they had brought
their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.” (vs. 10-11). It is
interesting to me that at their initial calling to “Follow Me” in Matthew’s
Gospel, Peter and Andrew were “casting their nets”, and James and John were
“mending their nets”. What a picture of how the Lord later would use
them in their ministries. Peter and Andrew are casting the Gospel net and
bringing people to Jesus. James, the first pastor of the church in Jerusalem,
and John are used by the Lord to shepherd and care for the people that are
coming to Jesus.
It is amazing how the Lord uses our spiritual gifts, our heart
desires, our abilities, our personality, and our past experiences, to fulfill
our calling as His disciples! Yes, Jesus finds us where we are, He loves us,
and calls us to simply follow Him, and then He prepares us, and then works
through us to do amazing things if we obey and yield our lives to Him. Are you
fearful of following Jesus today? Jesus says, "Do not be afraid.”
How is the Lord working through you today?
God bless!
