“And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.” (Mark 1:16-20 NKJV)
In this passage, Jesus calls His first four disciples. We tend to look at this and think, “Well, of course they followed Him. He was Jesus Christ, after all.” But picture the actual scene. John 1:35-42 gives a more detailed account of the calling of the first two (Andrew and Simon).
At this time, John the Baptist was the big name in the area and had a flock of disciples following him. The day after John baptized Jesus, he gestured toward the Lord and told his followers, “Behold the Lamb of God.” (John 1:36) Two of those men went after Jesus to ask where He was staying. Andrew was one of the two, and after he confirmed Jesus’s abode, he left and found his brother, Simon, telling him, “We have found the Messiah.” (John 1:41) Together they then began following Jesus.
Andrew began to follow Jesus on John the Baptist’s recommendation. Simon joined, based on his brother’s endorsement of Jesus. Both men trusted the word of the one pointing to Jesus. Does our testimonial carry that kind of weight? Jesus is constantly calling; whether one listens can depend on the messenger. Is our reputation such that folks care what we think?
Related Scriptures
“And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ They immediately left their nets and followed Him
“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. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.” (Matthew 4:18-22 NKJV)
“So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
“When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’
“But Simon answered and said to Him, ‘Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.’ And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!’
“For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.’ So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.” (Luke 5:1-11 NKJV)
“One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.
“Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, ‘You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas’ (which is translated, A Stone).” (John 1:40-42 NKJV)
“‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.’” (Matthew 13:47-48 NKJV)
“Then Peter answered and said to Him, ‘See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?’” (Matthew 19:27 NKJV)
“‘If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.’” Luke 14:26 NKJV)
