6: Leave Your Nets (Matthew 4:12-25)

2 Weeks ago we saw where Jesus was baptized by John, as the Spirit of God descended on Him and the voice of God the Father spoke saying, “This is my son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” After being empowered and encouraged Jesus was then...

Led by the Holy Spirit to fast for 40 days in the Judean wilderness, being tempted by the Devil throughout the month and 10 days.

And when temptation visits Jesus, He is able to overcome, because...

BIG TRUTH: TRUST CONQUERS TEMPTATION.

And with the help of our Sinless High Priest who is able to sympathize with our weakness and empower us to stand when tempted, we can overcome temptation too.

Today we will see Jesus call 4 of His first apostles and tell them, “LEAVE YOUR NETS…and follow Me.” He calls them to leave the comfort of their jobs, their homes, and their previous future plans - to follow Him and further His good news.

And the same is true today, as Jesus calls His disciples to follow Him and further His good news. The same Jesus is calling us saying, “Leave your nets…and follow Me.” Are you following Jesus and furthering His good news?

PRAY

At some point after that wilderness temptation...

Matthew 4:12 (NIV)

When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee.

Matthew 4:13 (NIV)

Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali

Capernaum is the Greek form of the Hebrew Kefar Nahum, which means the “village of Nahum”, an Old Testament prophet from over 600 years before Jesus came to live here.

Capernaum is on the North of the lake, typically referred to as the “Sea of Galilee”, a body of water which is and is surrounded by mountains & hills. The lake is known by several names including the Hebrew term “Chinnereth” meaning “harp” - describing the shape of the lake.

Lawrence A. Sinclair, “Galilee, Sea of,” ed. David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000), 480–481.

Hundreds of years earlier - around 1400 BC, Zebulun and Naphtali - 2 of the 12 tribes of Israel - had been given this land.

About 550 BC, the Persians came and captured many of the Jews and took them away. Many Gentiles (non-Jews) took their place and moved to this area, so, by the time of Jesus, a large group of Gentiles lived in and near this region.

Next Matthew notes how Jesus living in the Galilee and living close to the sea of Galilee, was fulfillment of yet another 700 year old prophecy from Isaiah 9:1-2. In fact, this is the 6th Old Testament prophecy fulfilled by Jesus within the first 4 chapters of Matthew’s text.

Michael J. Wilkins, Matthew, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2004), 173.

And here is the prophecy written by Isaiah and quoted by Matthew. Jesus lived in Capernaum by the lake...

Matthew 4:14-16 (NIV)

—to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 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.”

This area was crossroads for trade, for Jews and Gentiles. Because of this frequent interaction between the Jews and unclean Gentiles, Jews further south doubted that the Messiah could come from such a place (John 7:41, 52).

John 7:41 (NIV)

Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?

John 7:52 (NIV)

They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

Jews and Gentiles in Galilee were viewed as impure by many Jews further south.

And maybe they were impure people, but…the people living in darkness were about to get a glimpse of a great light in their midst!

Remember John’s message before being arrested?

Matthew 3:1–2 (NIV)

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

And now that John the Baptist has been arrested, Jesus picks up where John left off, with the same message.

Matthew 4:17 (NIV)

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

To repent is to turn from sin and return to the God who made you. John said this to prepare for the coming of the King.

But little did the people listening to Jesus know that the King of the Kingdom was standing in their midst, eating their food, drinking their water, and speaking to their souls. John had predicted His coming to earth, and now He was here and His ministry begins.

Matthew 4:18–20 (NIV)

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. “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed Him.

This isn’t the first time these guys have ever seen or talked to Jesus.

John’s Gospel tells us that Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist, who - with John’s encouragement, followed Jesus for the day. Andrew returned to tell Simon about meeting the Messiah and brought him to meet Jesus, who then nicknamed him Peter - like Rocky of our day (Jn 1:35-42).

Matthew 4:21–22 (NIV)

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, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.

Matthew gives us the truncated version of the story.

Dr. Luke gives us more info on what happened that day.

As Jesus was teaching by the Lake (Luke 5:1-11) and got into Simon’s boat, had him move out into the water, and taught the people from the boat on the water.

Afterward, Jesus told them to go to deeper water and fish. Peter politely told Jesus they had fished all night and caught nothing, but said they would go anyway.

Luke writes:

Luke 5:6–8 (NIV)

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

Peter understood that Jesus was godly, and he was not.

Luke 5:9–10 (NIV)

For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”

Jesus - this powerful Jewish rabbi - could have chosen any men he wanted to be his disciples & follow his ways.

But instead of going to Jerusalem to choose from the most educated, Jesus approaches fishermen -

So when Jesus approaches these men and says, “Come, follow me” this is an unexpected invite. And He tells them they will still be fishermen, but now they will fish for people.

I’m sure Simon Peter and Andrew don’t know what all that will entail, but Matthew focuses on their response: At once they left their nets and followed him.

They didn’t ask a bunch of questions, give a 2 weeks notice to their customers, or go ask their wives on how they should respond to Jesus’ invitation. They left their nets - their stable job, the work they knew so well, & the comfort of home - and they followed Jesus.

The first followers of Jesus were astonished with more than His miracles. When they finally saw the BIG PICTURE, they were astonished that Jesus had come to earth not only to love them, and train them, but to SAVE them from their sin.

And the first followers of Jesus understood early on that the good news that Jesus preached wasn’t just for them, but that Jesus expected them to take His good news to others.

And what was true for them is true for us. Jesus still calls everyday people to carry His eternal message, or put another way...

Jesus saves us to send us.

First He saves us. Do you remember when the Lord called you by the power of His spirit? Do you remember realizing what a sinner you were and realizing what a Savior He was? You turned from your sin and ask Jesus to forgive you. You stepped off the throne and Jesus sat down. You were saved from your sin and you knew it - forgiven and free!

But Jesus saves us to send us. He sends us to tell others where to find hope, forgiveness, purpose, & eternal life!

The 12 apostles and the rest of the 1st followers of Jesus weren’t the only ones called to fish for people. If they were, then Christianity would have died within 1 generation.

Have you been fishing lately? Who are you praying for, serving, sharing the good news with? When’s the last time you told someone how Jesus saved you and how He can save them?

Maybe you’re a young Christian or just need someone to show you how to share Jesus with others. If that’s the case, we would LOVE to put you in touch with Christians who will help you GROW in your faith and learn how to SHARE JESUS with your life & your lips.

That’s what Jesus did. Jesus didn’t just TELL His disciples what to do; Jesus SHOWED His disciples what to do.

And we finish today’s teaching with a broad brush painting of what that looked like.

Matthew 4:23 (NIV)

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

A synagogue could be formed in any town with 10 married Jewish men. The synagogue was the primary place for community worship, teaching & training, and even settling of legal disputes.

Visiting rabbis were often asked to read & explain the Scriptures, as Jesus did (Lk 4:16-21). I don’t know what great teachers you’ve ever heard, but can you imagine as the camouflaged KING of the Kingdom comes to your little synagogue to teach & explain the Scriptures? The fishermen, now turned followers of Jesus, must have been spellbound by His speech!

Matthew doesn’t yet tell us the extent of the good news Jesus was proclaiming…but we will get to hear it ourselves next week as we hear Jesus speak for Himself on what is typically referred to as “the Sermon on the Mount.”

Further, Jesus was healing every sick person who approached Him and asked for help. We will see several in-depth examples of that in Matthew’s gospel in the weeks to come, and a few glimpses in just a moment.

Between Jesus’ depth of teaching, communicating God’s desire to forgive & redeem, and miraculous ability to restore physical health is it any wonder what we read next?

Matthew 4:24–25 (NIV)

News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and He healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed Him.

Can you imagine this happening TODAY? Not the fakers flying lier jets and living in multi-million dollar homes, but a humble man walking or sailing into our community - touching people with His words and His hands.

Headaches…GONE.

Backaches…GONE.

Demons…GONE.

Seizures…GONE.

Paralyzed people…WALK & JUMP! He healed them!

People are hearing about this all over the place. People from over 60 miles away (like Jerusalem & beyond) are traveling to see and hear Jesus for themselves!

What Jesus DID would transform bodies temporarily. Those healed would eventually die.

But what Jesus SAID would transform souls forever! His message was powerful, but His message was also difficult -

LEAVE YOUR NETS and follow Me!

And that’s what disciples of Jesus did.. Jesus was worth the cost and the comfort.

And just a few years later, after Jesus dies on the cross, raises from the dead, and ascends to heaven, He empowers his disciples to take His good news to the lost world,

and because of that…many of US have been saved from our sins - forgiven and free! Is that TRUE of you?

As followers of Jesus, we must realize that

Jesus saves us to send us.

We are commanded to take His good news to our family, friends, acquaintances, & enemies - to our places of employment, schools, across the street, and across the oceans.

You will have to LEAVE YOUR NETS. It will cost you time, money, comfort, & effort. It might cost you some friendships and fame.

But when Jesus returns or when death comes knocking at your door....nothing else will matter.

The young missionary Jim Elliot, who was murdered by the Auca Indians he went to share the gospel with had it right when he said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

After he and several other missionaries were murdered their family members went to the same tribe and continued to share the message of Jesus. And some of the same men who killed their husbands, brothers, & fathers…bowed their knees to the Lord Jesus!

Their enemies became their brothers.

I wonder if the Lord Jesus gave Jim Elliot - in heaven - a glimpse of THAT!!!!

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Leave your nets. Follow Jesus and further His good news!

We want to help you -

STAFF

DEACONS/WIVES or another brother/sister

Right now we are going to enter into a RESPONSE TIME, where you are welcome to grab a friend or family member and come pray together, or pray where you’re at, or sing to the King, or simply talk to the Lord right where you are.

I’ll be available to talk as well as the rest of our staff and deacons/wives. Come forward and let us know how we can help you or pray for you.

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Take some time to discuss these questions with your family, friends, or group.

What challenged or encouraged you most from today’s teaching? (You might need to look back in your notes to help explain your answer.)

Read Matthew 4:12-16 & Isaiah 9:1-2. Why does Jesus’ move to Capernaum, on the Sea of Galilee, matter? (Note: Isaiah’s prophecy is 700 years before the ministry of Jesus on earth)

Read Matthew 4:18-22. You likely read this and think, “Is that the only conversation Jesus had with them that caused them to leave everything?” Now read John 1:35-42 & Luke 5:1-10. What extra insight do these other gospels give us about why they were so willing to leave their jobs and follow Jesus? Discuss these passages and what stands out to you.

Discuss our BIG TRUTH: Jesus saves us to send us. Who did God send to share the good news of Jesus with YOU? Share what they said or did to influence you to respond to the good news of Jesus. Why is it that people can claim to be saved yet have little concern about being sent to tell others about Jesus?

Sometimes Christians take the miracles & message of Jesus for granted, being calloused because we have heard it so often. Take a moment to read Matthew 4:23-25. If you heard the words and saw the works of Jesus, along with the response of the crowds, what would YOU be thinking?

WHO is a person that you are sharing the good news of Jesus with? Share some tactics, acts of service, or other ways that you are trying to be a fisher of people. (This is not meant to be a time to brag, but to encourage one another to keep sharing the Gospel with others. In fact, this might be a moment to be honest that you haven’t been purposeful to look for & take opportunities to share with others.)

Share prayer needs and pray for one another.