Come and see

The Sea of Galilee is a beautiful blue lake at the northern end of the Jordan Valley. Its surface is 680 feet below sea level. Shaped like an inverted pear, the lake is thirteen miles long from north to south and eight miles across at the northern end.

According to the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, this lovely lake was the center of activity in Galilee during the first century. There was a thriving fishing industry with 230 boats regularly working on the water, and there were nine populated cities along the shores of the lake. Perhaps that is why Jesus moved to Capernaum early in his ministry. Most of the people in Galilee lived around the lake, and Jesus spent approximately 80% of his ministry in Galilee.

Jesus Calls Peter and Andrew.

One day, “as Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once, they left their nets and followed him” (Matthew 4:18-20).

This was not the first time Peter and Andrew met Jesus. In Lesson One, we learned that Andrew followed Jesus after John the Baptizer pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.”

After spending the day with Jesus, Andrew rushed out, found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah.” Jesus nicknamed Simon “Peter.” It seems that Peter and Andrew followed Jesus from Judea to Galilee, believing he was the Messiah.

Now, Jesus meets Peter and Andrew again and calls them to be his disciples. It is said that discipleship is more than getting to know what the teacher knows; discipleship is getting to be what the teacher is. Webster writes: “A true disciple is not just a student or a learner, but a follower, one who applies what he has learned.”

A true disciple of Christ asks, “What does Jesus want me to do and be?” Jesus revealed what he wanted Peter and Andrew to be when he said, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

This call to discipleship reflects Jesus’ core values and goals. Jesus summarized his mission when he said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). Every lesson he taught, every sermon he preached, and every miracle he performed was designed to rescue the perishing. By calling Peter and Andrew to follow him, Jesus was inviting them to adopt his mission. When Jesus said to them, “I will make you fishers of men,” he was giving them a glimpse of what they would become after he equipped them to perpetuate his mission.

Jesus Is Calling Us.

Jesus is saying to us, as he said to Peter and Andrew, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

You may think of a dozen reasons why you could never become a “fisher of men.” You might make all kinds of excuses: “I am too young.” “I am too old.” “I am too timid.” “I am too ugly.” “I am too poor.” “I am too ignorant.” “I am too sinful.” You may be thinking, “God could never forgive all the bad things I have done.”

Remember, Jesus knows all about our fears, flaws, and foibles, but he also knows about our possibilities. He does not expect us to be an effective “soul winner” the moment we become his disciples. He accepts us as we are, but he does not leave us there.

Someone has said, “Jesus does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called.” He forgives us, teaches us, mentors us, encourages us, and empowers us. As disciples of Christ, we are apprentices. We are being trained. We listen to his teachings. We follow his example. We adopt his values, and we grow into his likeness.

The Scottish theologian William Barclay wrote, “It’s possible to be a follower of Jesus without being a disciple. . . . It is one of the supreme handicaps of the church that, in the church, there are so many distant followers of Jesus and so few real disciples.”

The late radio commentator Paul Harvey said, “We have drifted away from being fishers of men to being keepers of the aquarium.”

Many people who claim to be Christians have no intention of being disciples of Jesus. Yet, discipleship is at the heart of Christianity. The word “disciple” is used 269 times in the New Testament. The word “Christian” appears only three times.

Don’t be afraid of what you might be asked to do. Jesus will lead you step by step on your journey toward spiritual maturity. Along the way, when you are ready, he will give you opportunities to share your faith with others. Walk with him year after year, and the time will come when you will look back across your life and be surprised by how far you have come on your journey with Jesus.

Jesus Calls James and John.

After calling Peter and Andrew, Jesus “saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father, Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him” (Matthew 4:21, 22).

The Fishermen’s Call Confirmed

It seems that Peter, Andrew, James, and John soon returned to their fishing after Jesus called them. Perhaps they did not fully understand the extent of their call to discipleship. 

In the fifth chapter of Luke, we find Jesus standing by the lake, preaching the word of God to people who were crowding around him. “Near him, at the water’s edge, there were two boats that had been left there by fishermen who were washing their nets. Jesus got into the boat that belonged to Simon Peter and asked him to move the boat out a little from the shore. Then Jesus sat down and taught the people from the boat (Luke 5:1-3).

“When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch’” (Luke 5:4). Simon Peter replied, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets” (Luke 5:5).

One can only imagine how tired Peter and Andrew were after fishing all night without catching a fish. They probably wanted to go home and get some rest. Yet Jesus tells Peter to row or sail out into deep water and go fishing again. Peter didn't feel like spending more time on the lake when the fish weren’t biting, but Peter said to Jesus, “But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

Peter’s response to Jesus was an example we should follow. Jesus has asked us to go fishing for men and women, but all too often, we don’t feel like it. We are tired from a hard day’s work. We are worn out. We think, “Most people are not interested in talking about Jesus. I’ve tried to talk to people about Jesus before, and I have had no success. I have never made even one disciple.”

Jesus says again, “Go out into a sea of humanity and cast your spiritual nets for a catch.” Let us follow Peter’s example and say to Jesus, “I don’t feel like it, but because you say so, I will obey.” If we respond to Jesus’ command and cast our nets of love, kindness, sympathy, consideration, and personal attention, mixed with a good example and good news about Jesus, the Lord will eventually give us a net full of disciples.

When Peter and his helpers let down their nets in deep water, they caught so many fish their nets began to break. They signaled their partners, James and John to come and help them, and they filled both boats so full they began to sink (Luke 5:6, 7).

When Simon Peter saw the supernatural power Jesus had over the fish in the lake, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man” (Luke 5:8).

The closer we get to Jesus, the more aware we are of our own sins. Yet, it is while we are ashamed and upset over our sins that we are most responsive to the Lord’s call to discipleship. Jesus said to Peter, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch people” (Luke 5:10).

Peter, Andrew, James, and John were so astonished by Jesus’ divine power that they pulled their boats up on the shore, left everything, and followed him (Luke 5:9, 11). James and John left their father to clean that huge catch of fish. All four disciples left their nets. They left their boats. They left their families. They left their jobs. They left everything and followed Jesus.

Later, Peter said to Jesus, “We have left everything to follow you” (Mark 10:28). Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age, (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields–and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mark 10:29, 30).

Jesus is totally honest about what we should expect when we follow him. He said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18). “They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me” (John 15:21). At the same time, we can expect deep joy, satisfaction, and happiness in this life and a glorious home in heaven after death.

Jesus Is Calling.

Jesus is saying to us, “Follow me.” Are we listening to his voice? Following Jesus is not always easy. The forces of evil are widespread and strong, and persecution is not uncommon. Yet following Jesus is a rewarding journey. When we are down, he lifts us up. When we are weak, he makes us strong. When we are lost, he points the way. His abiding presence lifts us up, fills us with joy, gives us a purpose in life, and prepares us to be fishers of men.