Matthew 4:20

Thursday, 31 October 2024

They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Matthew 4:20

“And immediately, having left the nets, they followed Him” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus told Simon, called Peter, and Andrew to follow Him, and He would make them fishers of men. With that called out, it next says, “And immediately.”

There is no sense of hesitation. When Jesus was baptized, it said that He immediately went up from the water. One act followed directly after the next. That is how it is here. From the parallel account, it is understood that they already knew Jesus was the Messiah, having come with Him to the region of the Galilee.

While there, they went back to work in order to continue their profession. In responding to this call, however, a break from that has taken place. This should not be pressed too far as they will continue to fish even after the resurrection as noted in John 21. However, upon receiving this call, it next says, “having left the nets.”

Again, though sermons and scholarly writings indicate that they simply walked away from the nets, leaving behind their livelihood, that must be inserted into the narrative. Were they with others who they left the nests with? Did they roll them up and put them in the boat for later use? Or did they just drop the nets and walk away? Our minds will make up what we want the narrative to say regardless of whatever really happened.

The word translated as nets is diktuon. This is the first use of it in Scripture and it is completely different than the word used in verse 4:18. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon says it is the generic term for any type of net, including fishing. Whatever they did with them, they left them, and “they followed Him.”

Smart move on their part. Nothing in the narrative is forced. Nothing says that they were regenerated in order to follow. Jesus called them and they responded in faith that He was their Messiah. This is recorded in John 1 –

“Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God!’
37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, ‘What do you seek?’
They said to Him, ‘Rabbi’ (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), ‘where are You staying?’
39 He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).
40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated, the Christ). 42 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 1:35-42

Life application: You may have sat in a church and heard a sermon on this passage. Think of what you heard. The pastor probably said how amazing it was that these two got a call from someone, they were stunned at His offer, and they simply walked away from their nets and started a new life, abandoning everything in the process.

You may have inserted your own thoughts into the narrative as well, such as the color of the water, the size of the Sea of Galilee (if you had never seen it), the color of the sky, and so forth. You may have even made a mental image of Jesus and the two apostles. Of this verse, John Gill says –

“That is, as soon as he had called them, they left their worldly employment, and followed him; they gave up themselves to his service, and became his disciples; they not only left their "nets", but their fishing boats, and fishing trade, and all that belonged to it, even all their substance; and also their relations, friends, and acquaintance, see Matthew 19:27 which shows what a mighty power went along with the words and call of Christ; and what a ready, cheerful, and voluntary subjection this produces, wherever it takes place.”

Obviously, based on the commentary above, his words are not actually supportable from what the rest of the gospels continue to show. But this is how Gill perceived things.

People often get in a tizzy over movies about the Bible, especially movies about Jesus. They will spend all of their time cutting apart the movie as if it is supposed to be some type of exacting presentation of Scripture, and any deviation from it is heretical.

But you have just been thinking of the color of the sky and what Jesus looks like to you while reading my comments. With that type of logic, either my words were leading you into heresy, or your thoughts have led you into it (terrifying, for sure!). That is unreasonable.

People who have watched and loved The Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston may refuse to watch The Passion of the Christ or a series like The Chosen. Why? Probably because one is a Hollywood blockbuster that was never intended to be anything but a drama about the life of Moses while the others are held to some inordinately high standard for... for what reason?

Innumerable people love The Greatest Story Ever Told, and yet Max Von Sydow (Jesus) was an atheist or agnostic (he wasn’t sure). Curiously, he also played the devil in Needful Things. But what do those things have to do with the content of The Greatest Story Ever Told? Lots of people watched that, and probably many of them malign other more biblically accurate movies or series.

As for actors, it is common for people to ridicule The Passion of the Christ because some of the actors are sinners (hmm....) but they don’t mind watching The Ten Commandments with Yul Brynner as one of the actors. But it is generally accepted that he was bisexual. In Ben Hur, another great movie. The lady who played Esther, the female star, Haya Harareet, was a twice-divorced Ashkenazi Jew. Throw up your arms! She didn’t even believe in Jesus.

The movie won 11 Academy Awards and is loved by Christians everywhere, and yet it has almost nothing to do with Scripture, and nobody cares about the actors’ personal lives. The attack by Christians over well-made Christian movies is totally hypocritical.

And more to the point, the same people who tear apart Christian movies are almost 100% guaranteed to watch any given Hollywood movie or TV show. Which is going to be more edifying?

Don’t let people rob your joy over presentations of Scripture that may not be minutely precise. If that is what you are looking for, you probably should not think while reading the Bible, lest your mind insert something that actually didn’t happen in whatever story you are reading.

A town in Germany, Oberammergau, has held a Passion play every decade since 1634. It is performed on the world’s largest open-air stage. One can be assured that the play is directed by sinners, played by sinners, and does not exactingly follow Scripture, and yet it has been a cherished part of their history for almost four hundred years.

Instead of tearing apart those who are trying to make a difference in films and videos in regard to their efforts to exalt the Lord, be someone who is willing to simply enjoy these treasures for what they are. Fill your life with Jesus in whatever way is edifying and which exalts Him.

Lord God, thank You for plays, films, and reenactments of our Lord Jesus. They help us to keep our mind on what is good, even if they are not word for word in accord with Your word. They are there to make a difference, and for many of us, they truly do. But, Lord, help us always to put Your word above all else when it comes to our understanding of You and what You expect for us. Amen.