Matthew 4:18-22 - Spiritual Tattoo: Following Jesus is the pathway to growth

Context of Matthew - a Jewish audience

Written to a Jewish audience

To show that Jesus is the descendant of David, the promised Messiah

To correct a misconception that the merit of their ethnicity somehow granted them some preferential treatment

Context of Matthew - a global gospel

At his birth - Gentiles, not Jews came to witness & worship

Warning of John the baptist - don’t rely on your ethnicity

Galilee - an unlikely context

Northern Israel, separated and despised

Galilean Jews looked down upon for being racially, culturally, linguistically different

v15&16 prophecy (land of darkness, Galilee of the Gentiles)

The disciples, an unlikely group

All, or almost all were Galileans

Simon Peter, Andrew, James & John were all fishermen

ordinary, unexceptional, arbitrary?

The Call - Follow and be MADE

v19 - those who follow get MADE into what they are to be

On what basis do we view our usefulness to God? Merit? or growth?

Fishers of men

Lifelong learning

Hard work, not always fruitful - cast nets all night, may not catch anything

Constant and consistent - repairing nets

Portrait of Growth - Simon Peter

Leader of the apostles

Often brash, impulsive and self-confident

Jesus gives him a new name and gently but firmly disciples him into being the leader

Simon Peter’s letters show his growth in his perspectives on suffering & humility