Matthew 4:18-22 (NIV) (2024)

FAQs

What is the message behind Matthew 4-18-22? ›

Matthew 4:18–22 describes Jesus' calling of two sets of brothers to follow Him as His disciples. Both pairs are working as fishermen on the Sea of Galilee as Jesus is walking by. He commands them to follow Him. Both Andrew and Peter, and James and John, immediately do so, leaving behind careers and family.

Matthew 4:18-20 The Message (MSG)

Jesus said to them, “Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.” They didn't ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed.

He is telling this scribe that if he wants to follow him, then you are signing up to forfeit the comforts of this world. Following Jesus does not mean you are going to be comfortable. There are many commands that Jesus gives that are quite uncomfortable and very difficult to follow.

Jesus's first disciples were Andrew, John, and Simon Peter and then the next day, Philip and Nathaniel.

I pray: 'Jesus, show me what I need to leave behind in order to be a good disciple. Do not let me fall far behind you and lose sight of you. Keep me close. Thank you for these times of prayer, and for inviting me to share a meal with you in the Eucharist.

18 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. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

Jesus is calling us all to be disciples. Jesus has sought us out; he has chosen us and gifted us for what he wants us to do. Jesus calls and says, “Follow me.” Is your response “No, not me. Jesus can't be calling me.” Or, are ready to put down your nets and follow?

He means to make those who follow him workers in his kingdom. There is no doubt that Jesus came to establish the kingdom of heaven and to fill it with lost sinners. And there is no doubt that he also wants to do that through those who believe and who accept his call to follow him.

Matthew 4 has four main sections: the temptation of Christ, the beginning of Christ's ministry, calling the disciples, and healing and teaching. The temptation of Christ is important to the Gospels because it that Jesus is the Son of God (Hagner 61). He went through the temptations and passed the test.

The Pharisees were trying to set Jesus up. They have sent their own disciples, along with some from a group known as the Herodians, to spring a trap. The attempt began with flattery, then sprang what was meant to look like a dispute between those two groups.

What does Jesus say is the cost for following him? ›

To the rich young ruler Jesus said, It is going to cost you all your possessions to follow me: "Sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me" (Matthew 19:21).

Instead, he sought to teach that when God summons or commands someone, his summons should be immediately obeyed, above human summons or commands. This same issue comes up in Acts 6, when the disciples appoint deacons to deal with acts of mercy such as feeding widows.

Jesus called them, and immediately they… followed Him.” (Matthew 4: 18-22) Jesus Chose these men and Changed them forever. He Chose these unschooled, unsophisticated men to be His Change Agents in the world. And God's message through them has changed the history of the world!

Saint Matthias was chosen from among Jesus' disciples to replace Judas as the twelfth apostle. After receiving the Holy Spirit with the other apostles on the day of Pentecost, he left to preach the gospel in Judea and Colchis, where he was crucified.

Peter, James son of Zebedee, and James's brother John formed an informal triumvirate among the Twelve Apostles in the Gospels.

The weeds represent those people who do not listen to God's word, they are “sons of the evil one” who will go to the fiery furnace of hell at the end of time. The harvest workers are the angels and harvest time is the end of the age. This means that on Earth, good and bad people will grow and live together.

When we make the good confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, we are accepting His authority (Matthew 28:18-20). Our authority is not Moses, or Elijah, or one of the prophets. We must listen to Jesus Christ (Matthew 17:5). We will be judged by Him and His Word at the Last Day (John 12:48; Acts 17:30-31).

I will make you fishers of men . Jesus used a clever play on words to call these fishermen to give up their livelihood of catching fish to rescuing people. This shows that Jesus' ministry is not just about knowledge or only about the disciples' own lives.