Matthew 4:18-22

¹⁸ While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen.

¹⁹ And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you into fishers of people.”

²⁰ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

²¹ And 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, repairing their nets, and he called them.

²² Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him too. _________________________________________

Fishers of people

Why did the Lord choose four fishermen from Galilee to be part of his world transforming team? It was certainly not a status choice. They brought no clout into his organization. In fact, they probably were liabilities from the outset. They were not known for their wisdom or experience. Perhaps it boils down to this, if anything: they knew how to follow orders in pursuit of their target. They had learned the trade from their parents, and willingness to pursue their target under the direction of their new mentor was going to be a plus.

What about me? Do I have what it takes to pursue people? When I think about it, none of the qualifications that I can admit for myself even seem to matter to this Rabbi from Nazareth.

LORD, use me to reach people. Mold me into the kind of disciple who lures others to your boat.