Matthew 4:18-19

Matthew 4:18-19

And while walking beside the sea of Galilee He saw two brothers – Simon, the one who is being called Peter, and Andrew, his brother – while casting their round casting nets into the sea.  For they were fishermen.  And He says to them, “Come follow after me.  And I will make you fishers of mankind.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

There is a really neat understanding that comes out of the net that was used.  Matthew doesn’t just tell us that they were casting their nets into the sea, he tells us that they were specifically casting their round nets – their amphiblestron (ἀμφίβληστρον).  You might note a little similarity in the beginning of this word and our English word amphibious.  The amphibleston were round nets, sometimes as wide as 9 feet.  The edges were weighted so when the net was cast into the sea it would sink quickly to the bottom.  This would trap the larger fish.  A central rope would be pulled so that the weights would come together and form a pouch of netting which would keep the fish secure.  Why is all this important?  The amphiblestron was best used while standing in the shallows.  It could be used from the shore, but to get the most out of it you wouldn’t stand on the shoreline and cast in.  To truly maximize this net you had to wade in a bit and cast it while being in the midst of the water.  Jesus looks at these two men and sees that Andrew and Peter aren’t afraid to wade in and get their feet dirty.  Jesus sees a perfect analogy to the ministry and offers a place at His side for these two lucky men.

Are you willing to wade into ministry and get your feet dirty?  Where are you likely to do this?  Where are you unlikely to do this?

Second Thought:

Matthew tells us that Jesus invites them to come and follow.  My other two points are long today, so I’ll make this one short.  In order to do ministry, we must follow first.  In order to be spiritually great, we must begin in the humble position of following.  The truth is that the spiritually great are spiritually great because they’ve come to accept the role of following and they never stop following.  Jesus doesn’t come and invite them into stardom.  He invites them to follow.  He invites them to submit.  He invites them to simply learn from Him.

Are you a follower?  Who or what do you follow?  How well do you do when asked to submit and follow?

Third Thought:

The testimony of Jesus that He will make them fishers of mankind is powerful.  It tells us two things.  First, it tells us the goal.  God is not looking for us to become a star.  God is not looking for us to come up with the next great invention that makes everyone’s life so much easier.  God wants us to spiritually fish among mankind.  God wants us to see the world around us as a place to constantly go fishing and find out who is looking to learn more about God and get into a meaningful relationship with Him.  Second, this passage is set in the future.  Jesus tells these men that He will make them fishers of mankind.  They aren’t ready at the beginning.  They need to be developed.  They need to be molded.  They need to be mentored.  They need their questions answered.  They need to even figure out what the questions are!  How neat is it to see this beginning moment of faith once more through fresh eyes!

Where is your heart?  Is your life’s agenda to become a fisher among mankind?  If so, how are you – or God within you – developing that ability?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 4:20-22