#32 Jesus Calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John

#32 Jesus Calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John

Please first read: Matt 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11; JST John: 1:42; JST Matt 4:18-21

President J. Reuben Clark Jr.:

Jesus, pressed by the people, stands by the Lake of Gennesaret; he sits in Simon’s boat, and having it pushed out a little from the shore, he teaches the  people; he then takes Simon and his boat into the sea, tells Simon to cast his net; Simon demurs, saying he has toiled all night and taken nothing, but says he will do as told; he casts his net and gets so many fish that the net breaks; he beckons his other partners who come and they fill both ships. Peter falls upon his knees saying, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord;” all are astonished, and he says to them – Peter, Andrew, James, and John, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men;” they leave their boats and follow him.

Jesus is now selecting a small group of disciples and beginning their preparation for a future calling. He comes upon Peter and Andrew and after he testifies to them that he is the Messiah they follow him. (JST Matthew 4:18-21) James and John are also called to be followers, or disciples, and they do so. They will later become Apostles. Phillip is not mentioned but was also among the followers of Jesus here. It is he who brought Nathaniel to Jesus. Matthew and Mark record this as the same event; Luke’s account appears to be a separate occasion.

The scriptures show that Jesus had to keep calling these and other disciples back to him. They were young in their discipleship. The Greek “disciple” means “learner” and in the strict sense of the word a physical follower of the teacher. They also show that even after the Lord’s resurrection he had to call some of these same followers back to their callings as Apostles. It will not be until the Gift of the Holy Ghost is bestowed upon them on the Day of Pentecost that they will leave the temporal and give full service to the Apostleship.

“Casting out” and “fishers and hunters of men” were familiar expressions in their own Jewish scriptures. (Jeremiah 16) Fishing was a metaphor for missionary work. Regarding Jesus’ saying, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men,” President Harold B. Lee, in October 1960, likened it to “If you will keep my commandments, I will make you leaders of men.”

Jesus spent much of his time with the poor and downtrodden but they were not the only ones to follow him. Fishing in Galilee was a thriving industry. These four called disciples appear to have successful fishing businesses … they own their boats and have hired employees working for them. It is very likely there were kinship and/or occupational ties between some of them. Eleven of the Twelve Apostles called by Jesus came from around the Sea of Galilee. It also seems reasonable to me there would certainly be a cross section of the public, especially from what we would refer to as the “middle class.”

John the Baptist was instrumental in preparing some of Jesus’ closest disciples. This was part of his calling. Kinship may also have played a role in his gaining early followers ready to accept Jesus when he came.  

“Apostles” and “Disciples’ as defined in Jesus’ time:

·         Disciple: an adherent, a learner, one who follows another’s teachings; especially of the Twelve Apostles. (Vines Dictionary of NT Words)           

·         Apostle: In Jewish Palestine it was “the one sent,” i.e. emissaries commissioned by the Sanhedrin, rabbis, etc. to represent them and act in their name with authority on fiscal or legal matters. Greek: one sent, charged, or commissioned. The criteria for an Apostle elsewhere in the New Testament seem to be mainly two: 1. A witness of the risen Christ, and 2. One commissioned by Jesus to proclaim the Christ. (J. Fitzmyer, “The Gospel According to Luke)

·         Apostle: The Twelve called by Jesus and sent forth to preach the Gospel and be with him during his ministry on earth, one sent forth. (Smith’s Bible Dictionary)

Glenn R. McGettigan       

December 2014; Revised: September 2015

References:

“Doctrinal New Testament Commentary.” McConkie  

“Mortal Messiah.” Volume 2. McConkie

“Our Lord of the Gospels.” Clark  

“The Gospel According to Mark.” Mann 

“The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ.” Holzaphel and Wayment  

“Gospel Studies of the New Testament.” Ludlow

“The Gospel According to Luke.” Volume 1. Fitzmyer