Jesus Calls First Disciples

Take Every Passage to Prayer - Volume 2, The Gospels
^{Sunday June 16, 2024}

Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20, Luke 5:1-11

Father, please prepare my heart to be ready at any moment to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with those who You appoint to cross my path. Those people might hear the gospel for the first time in their lives. Please make me a fishermen of men and women, doing what I can to share the gospel with as many people as possible, some of whom You may bring into the Kingdom of God through the message I share. Father, there will be times in ministry when further efforts seem futile. Nothing is working. Help me to move forward because a great harvest may only be another hour or day away. Father, the fear of You is the beginning of wisdom and understanding. Help me to always keep in the forefront of my mind that I was a sinful man, who could not be in Your holy presence, before I was saved by Jesus Christ. Father, I want my service to You to be my full-time career. That may mean I literally become a pastor or missionary. That may also mean a lifestyle of serving You at my work, in my community, and in my home. Amen.

Father, Jesus has returned to Galilee, and He has joined Peter fishing at the Lake of Gennesaret , another name for the Sea of Galilee.

It is most likely an hour or two after sunrise. Jesus was walking on the beach. There are two boats at the water’s edge. One was owned by Peter. He was washing his fishing nets with Andrew, his brother, and the other fishermen, including his fishing partners, the sons of Zebedee, James, and John. Jesus was taking in the scene, perhaps lovingly watching the guys ply their trade. Someone on the beach recognized Jesus:

“Hey, here’s the guy that turned water into wine! Come! Come now! He’s on the beach!”

A crowd gathered around Jesus. He may have wanted some time to Himself, but the gospel came first. His Father in heaven had orchestrated divine appointments for Jesus with the people on the beach and Jesus will not waste them. He shared the gospel using His vast knowledge of the Old Testament. Perhaps the people who were at the beach weren’t used to hearing passages from scripture. Perhaps they didn’t go to the synagogue. Maybe they weren’t religious. However, they were intrigued and called over more people they knew. The crowd circling around Him became so large that Jesus ran out of room. He stepped into Peter’s boat and asked Peter to move the boat a little offshore so Jesus could sit down and preach in it.

After He was finished preaching, Jesus turned His attention to the calling of all four of these men as His disciples. He decided to create a metaphor about catching souls for the Kingdom of God. He invited Peter to take his boat out into the deeper water and let down the nets for a catch.

Peter had doubts. He told Jesus, his “Master ”, that it was a bad night of fishing and fishing now would be a waste of time. However, a humble Peter obeyed Jesus and followed Jesus’ direction.

The fishnet exploded with fish, so much so the nets began to break. Peter, James, and John signaled the fishermen in the other boat to help them. Both boats were soon so full of fish that they began to sink. After Peter experienced this miracle, He concluded that Jesus was the very Son of God. This was no mere teacher whom Peter was with – He was the Creator of the universe.

Peter felt immediately the weight of his sinfulness. He understood that a sinner dies when in the presence of the glory of God.

“Go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful man! (NIV)”

Jesus told Peter not to be afraid. He told Peter that just like he caught many fish in the nets, Peter will soon catch many people (for the Kingdom of God). Jesus invited Peter, Andrew, James, and John to give up their fishing business to catch people, and to follow Him from this point forward. The text tells us that all four men pulled up their boats onto the shore and left it all behind to follow Jesus.

According to John 1:35-51, Peter, Andrew, and Philip had already been with Jesus for some time. This would also be true of John if John were the “missing” (unnamed) disciple of John the Baptist who switched allegiance to Jesus. How do we account for the apparent disparities in these two accounts? How did Jesus call these men to follow Him at the Sea of Galilee when they have already been following Jesus since they encountered Him when they were with John the Baptist?

Father, I believe the solution is quite simple: the four men decided to follow Jesus in John 1:35-51 as one would follow a friend. However, Jesus had not yet asked them to give up their careers to follow Him. It is here at the beach that Jesus asked these men to do more than to dip their toe into the work of the Kingdom of God. It is now time for them to jump into the deep end and make a life changing commitment to Jesus that will impact their livelihoods. This was a significant moment of dedication when casual supporters became committed followers. Amen.