Matthew 4:19

Wednesday, 30 October 2024

Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

“And He says to them, ‘You come – after Me! And I will make you fishers of men’” (CG).

In the previous verse, it noted Jesus walking by the Sea of the Galilee when He came upon Simon, called Peter and Andrew, his brother. They were casting their net. It then noted that they were fishers. Now, it says, “And He says to them, ‘You come – After Me!’”

The word deute is an exclamatory word meaning come. Although we can’t know the inflection of Jesus’ voice, it was probably something excited and yet directive. Thus “You come – after Me!” is probably close. Of this expression, the Pulpit Commentary says, “There is no thought of continuous following from place to place..., but of immediate detachment from the present sphere of their interest and of attachment to Jesus as their leader.”

He called out to them first with the directive to come and then an explanatory word that they were to be His followers. His choice had been made, and they were now given the opportunity to respond to the call. With that called out, Jesus then continued with a fuller explanation of His intent for them. “And I will make you fishers of men.”

There they were, casting their net into the sea hoping to catch fish. But Jesus now has a greater role to offer them. The idea of fishers of men is not first found here in Scripture. Rather, it goes back to the book of Jeremiah where the Lord judges Israel for its iniquity and then promises restoration. Included in that restoration are the Gentile nations –

“‘Behold, I will send for many fishermen,’ says the Lord, ‘and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. 17 For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes. 18 And first I will repay double for their iniquity and their sin, because they have defiled My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable idols.’
19 O Lord, my strength and my fortress,
My refuge in the day of affliction,
The Gentiles shall come to You
From the ends of the earth and say,
‘Surely our fathers have inherited lies,
Worthlessness and unprofitable things.’
20 Will a man make gods for himself,
Which are not gods?
21 ‘Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know,
I will cause them to know
My hand and My might;
And they shall know that My name is the Lord.’” Jeremiah 16:16-21

Even in the Old Testament, the idea of Gentiles coming to the Lord is expressly stated from time to time. God has a plan, and His purposes for the people of the world have been worked out slowly and methodically. With the advent of the Messiah, that salvific process suddenly went into overdrive.

As noted in the previous commentary, in that verse, many translations say “fishermen.” The problem with that is now found in this verse. The same word just used is used again. Therefore, to be consistent in translation, it would then say in this verse, “And I will make you fishermen of men.”

The redundancy is obvious. And so, a change is made in those versions from “fishermen” to simply “fishers.” To be consistent in translation, simply saying “fishers” in both verses is preferable.

Life application: Jesus used the fishers of men terminology as a metaphor for what these men would be doing. Here we have several things coming together to form a picture of something new – men in an occupation, a net, the sea, fish in the sea, hopes for a harvest of fish, etc. Of course, the main Subject is Jesus, the one directing the scene through His words.

Here we have the words “Come – after Me!” Jesus makes the directive call for a change in what they are doing, even if what they will be doing is mirrored in what they have been doing. He calls men of an occupation to continue in that profession but in an entirely new way. They will remain fishers but with a new type of catch.

The net is the means of catching the fish. The new means is the gospel. The men are going from being members of the Galilean sphere of fishers to members of a body (today we call it the church). In other words, the men comprise the church, not a building or an organizational structure built on making money and doing things with that money.

The sea is emblematic of the chaotic world of humanity. That is seen many times in Scripture. The fish in the sea are those who are caught out of the world by the means of the gospel (the net) through the church (the men) whose intent and purpose it is to find the lost and bring them to salvation (the hopes of the harvest of fish).

This short verse in the early chapter of Matthew, although dealing with Israel under the law at this time, is a picture of a greater process that the Lord will be accomplishing through those He has selected. The harvest will be from Israel under the law at first, but it will eventually extend around the entire world. Jeremiah’s prophecy gives hints of this, even from a point in time when it was wholly unknown to the world.

As you read the Bible, look at what is going on in the story or narrative that you are reading and think about what is being said. Then look for parallels of these things elsewhere. Eventually, pictures of the magnificent work of God in Christ become fully developed. Nothing in Scripture is superfluous. Everything has intent, meaning, and purpose.

So, take your time and consider what you are reading. Treasure awaits!

Lord God, what an exciting thing to read Your word and to see how Your plan for the redemption of mankind is detailed there in so many ways. It is glorious to consider what You have been doing and what continues to be done, even until this day. May we respond to the call of the gospel and then to the call to continue furthering this good news as a part of Your redemptive outreach to the world. Amen.