Fishers of Men: Matthew 4:12-22

When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee.

The forerunner was silenced. John's voice, which had echoed through the wilderness, was now confined to Herod's dungeon. The baton was passing. Jesus moved north, away from Jerusalem's politics, into the region where he had grown up.

Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali.

Capernaum—a fishing village on the Sea of Galilee's northwestern shore. Jesus relocated from Nazareth to this lakeside town, establishing what would become his base of operations.

To fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."

Isaiah's ancient words described these northern territories—regions that had suffered Assyrian conquest centuries earlier, lands of mixed population and compromised faith. But prophecy promised light in precisely these dark corners.

From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."

John's message, now on Jesus' lips. The kingdom had not just come near; it had arrived in person. The King was preaching his own kingdom.

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.

Ordinary day on the lake. Nets hitting water, fish gathered, boats rocking gently. Simon and Andrew were working—doing what their fathers had done, what their grandfathers had done.

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people."

Four Hebrew words that changed everything: Come after me. The invitation was simple but total. Leave this and follow that. Exchange fish for people.

At once they left their nets and followed him.

At once. No committee meeting. No consulting with family. The nets dropped into the boat—or into the water—and they walked away from the only life they had known.

Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets.

Another pair of brothers, another fishing boat. Zebedee and sons, a family business, mending nets for the next day's work.

Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Immediately. They left the boat, the nets, and their father sitting in the stern. Zebedee watched his sons walk away with a stranger from Nazareth.

Four fishermen. Two sets of brothers. Nets abandoned, boats beached, father left behind. The kingdom was gathering its first citizens, and they were not scribes or priests but working men with calloused hands and fish scales under their fingernails.

"I will make you fishers of men."

The metaphor honored what they knew. You understand nets and water and patience and the thrill of a good catch. Now apply that to people. Cast into humanity. Gather souls. The Sea of Galilee was practice for the nations.

They could not have known what they were signing up for. Miracles and opposition. Mountains and valleys. Betrayal and resurrection. Three years of walking with God incarnate, then lifetimes of spreading his message.

But that first day, all they knew was the voice: Follow me.

They followed.