Matthew 4:12-22

Rachel Workman: 12 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. 13 He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah:

15 “In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali,
    beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River,
    in Galilee where so many Gentiles live,
16 the people who sat in darkness
    have seen a great light.
And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
    a light has shined.”[f]

17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” These are the very words of Jesus. Repent and turn to God. It's not a prayer or ceremony that saves us. It's repenting and turning to God that does.

18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.

21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. 22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind. You know these men had to be moved in some way. People don't just up and leave everything to follow someone they just met. My guess is they knew the minute the were in the presence of Jesus that he was who he said he was. I'm sure the Holy Spirit was very much at work here.

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John Burnett:  ¹² Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; ¹³ and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. ¹⁴ This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:  Isaiah knew Jesus was coming and wrote about the light of the world.

¹⁵ “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
^[a]By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the ^[b]Gentiles—
¹⁶ “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light,
And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death,
Upon them a Light dawned.”

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to ^[c]preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  There is that word repentance again.  I wonder why so many preachers don’t preach repentance.  It was the first word out of Jesus’s mouth when he began to preach.

The First Disciples

¹⁸ Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ And He *said to them, “^[d]Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. ²¹ Going on from there He saw two other brothers, ^[e]James the son of Zebedee, and ^[f]John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. ²² Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.  The Holy Spirit had been preparing these guys because they were actively looking for the Messiah.  When Jesus walked up to them and said “follow me” they knew immediately that they should follow Him.  They didn’t hesitate, think about it, or even pack, they followed Him.  When I envision these Disciples, I see the guys on Deadliest Catch or Wicked Tuna.  Rough men who drink and cuss but they are the ones who Jesus came to save.  I am living proof.

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Allen Michaels: ¹² When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. ¹³ Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— Jesus’ move fulfilled the prophesy of Isaiah 9:1, 2, which states that the Messiah will be a light to the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, the region of Galilee where Capernaum was located. ¹⁴ to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁵ “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
    the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles—
¹⁶ 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.”

By quoting from the book of Isaiah, Matthew continues to tie Jesus’ ministry to the Old Testament. This was helpful for his Jewish readers, who were familiar with these scriptures. In addition, it shows the unity of God’s purposes as he works with his people throughout all ages.

¹⁷ From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” The “kingdom of Heaven” has the same meaning as the “kingdom of God” in Mark and Luke. Matthew uses this phrase because the Jews, out of their intense reverence and respect, did not pronounce God’s name.

Jesus started his ministry with the very word people had heard John the Baptist say: “Repent.” The message is the same today as when Jesus and John gave it. Becoming a follower of Christ means turning away from our self-centeredness and “self” control and turning our lives over to Christ’s direction and control.

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

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 told Peter and Andrew to leave their fishing business and become “fishers of men,” to help others find God. Jesus was calling them away from their productive trades to be productive spiritually. We all need to fish for souls. If we practice Christ’s teachings and share the gospel with others, we will be able to draw those around us to Christ like a fisherman who pulls fish into his boat with nets.

²¹ 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. Jesus called them, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. James and his brother, John, along with Peter and Andrew, were the first disciples that Jesus called to work with him. They didn’t make excuses why it wasn’t a good time to leave their jobs. They left at once and followed. Jesus calls each of us to follow him. When Jesus asks us to serve him, we must be like the disciples and do it at once.