October 10, 2019
Peter Was a Fisherman
Matthew 4
Joshua Wilhite
Central Truth
Jesus didn't change the world with an elite team of super-disciples. He invited and activated normal people, flaws and all. My choice to follow Jesus in His kingdom ministry isn't based on my abilities or track record but on His gracious invitation.
Key Verse | Matthew 4:19
And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Matthew 4
The Temptation of Jesus
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and
‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Jesus Begins His Ministry
12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16
the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.”
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 1 4:17 Or the kingdom of heaven has come near
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 2 4:19 The Greek word anthropoi refers here to both men and women 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And 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, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Dive Deeper | Matthew 4
To be honest, I've always had an inferiority complex when it comes to ministry. It seems like I never have the time, energy, or abilities to do things that measure up to the ministry giants in my world. Anywhere I might have potential, I can find a bunch of people who have more. I can also find enough personal failures and shortcomings to give me pause in any ministry pursuit.
And, when you look at Matthew 4, it could fortify that thinking at first. At the start of the chapter, Jesus defeats the devil himself (Matthew 4:1-11). Then, He fulfills 600-year-old prophecies (Matthew 4:12-17). His moving from Nazareth to Galilee is likened to a bright eternal light freeing a whole region from a kingdom of darkness. He's the Great Liberator who's going to break the yoke of oppression and establish a kingdom of peace. It's a super-stellar, intergalactic, ultra-eternal movement of God Almighty. It's a movement fit for St. Augustine, Martin Luther, C.S. Lewis, and Billy Graham—to tear down worldly kingdoms and powers in the name of Jesus Christ.
But then in Matthew 4:18-22, this grand scope of eternal magnitude gets zoomed in to a scene that's totally relatable to anyone with eyes to see it. Jesus is walking in an everyday place like an everyday guy, and He stops and uses His everyday mouth to speak everyday words to call everyday guys to use their everyday feet and everyday hearts to join Him in this eternal endeavor.
It could have just as easily happened in a Walmart checkout lane or a corporate C-suite.
This is what eternal magnitude actually looks like: fishermen—not superheroes—fishermen. Fishermen heard His call. Fishermen chose. Fishermen got out of their boats and followed Jesus.
I can do that.
Maybe following Jesus in ministry is less about capacity and more about calling.
Maybe it's less about the one who's called and more about the One who calls.
We can all do that.
Discussion Questions
1. When have you found yourself hesitating in your calling to follow Jesus?
2. The Apostle Peter wrote 1 Peter 2:9 years after Matthew 4:18-22 happened. How does his late-in-life confidence and lack of regret speak to your previous answer?
3. When Jesus said "fishers of men," He was word-playing on the vocation of the people He was calling. Today, He could just as easily say, "realtors," "homemakers," or "educators of men." What is your vocation? What might you do differently today if you saw your vocation through the lens of Jesus' mission to draw people to Himself?
4. Take a moment and nail down one thing you can do today to bring someone one step closer to knowing Jesus.