40-15 Disciples of the King

Matthew 4:18-25

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 1149 God Can Do It

1149 God Can Do It

Longfellow could take a worthless sheet of paper, write a poem on it, and make it worth $6,000—that’s genius.

Rockefeller could sign his name to a piece of paper and make it worth a million dollars—that’s capital.

Uncle Sam can take paper, stamp an eagle on it, add a face and make it worth $20.00—that’s money.

A mechanic can take material that is worth only $5.00 and make it worth $50.00—that’s skill.

An artist can take a fifty-cent piece of canvas, paint a picture on it, and make it worth $1,000—that’s art.

God can take a worthless, sinful life, wash it in the blood of Christ, put His Spirit in it, and make it a blessing to humanity—that’s salvation.

—Christian Digest

That’s actually the call to discipleship…the call to salvation is Christ’s invitation to be His disciple. Now, that term disciple is not used in our vv (won’t see it until next ch). But a disciple is related to the word “to learn.” A disciple is a learner, a pupil, an adherent who is attached to his teacher/master. Becoming a disciple of Jesus—to those called into this relationship embraced everything about their master/teacher and would have to reorient everything about their lives in order to follow Him. Jesus will show His followers the exacting price that needs to be considered in order to be His disciples (Matt 10). For every disciple of Christ there must be a transition from personal interests to embracing God’s mission. Not only is this the calling of “the 12” as they are often known as (12 disciples)…but it will become the mission of the church:

Matthew 28:19–20 NASB95

19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Our vv today about the 1st disciples Jesus calls to Himself reveal 3 truths about the King and His kingdom:

1) The King’s Purpose

18-22

Jesus calling His 1st disciples reveals the high purpose of the Lord. It was said to Joseph…

Matthew 1:21 NASB95

21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

While He was about the business of salvation/reconciling sinners to God, He would call to Himself a few disciples that He would train for the work of the kingdom…to spread the gospel thruout the world. Now, only 4 of the 12 are called at this point and it happens as “Jesus walking…”

Don’t suppose this was a chance encounter b/t Jesus and Peter/Andrew. The Lord is very purposeful about His every move—it must be included in the will of God. The calling of the disciples represents a divine appointment—a purposeful encounter at the Sea of Galilee (probably near Capernaum). Barclay notes how the Sea is 13 miles long (N-S) and about 8 miles wide (E-W) and oval shaped. The surrounding hills rose 600-1000 feet above and as Christ was walking He saw 2 sets of brothers that He Himself had purposed to choose as His disciples—

John 6:70 NASB95

70 Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?”

The calling of Christ’s disciples was actually a series of different events (comparing the Gospels reveal 5 different stages of Jesus calling the 12). There are similarities in the Lord’s calling believers today:

The Call to Salvation— Jn 1:35-51. This is where Andrew, John, Peter, Philip and Nathaniel encounter Jesus for the 1st time (early in the ministry of Jesus at the time John is baptizing at the Jordan). Some were already disciples of John and when He pointed out the “Lamb of God…” they followed Jesus (Jn 1:37).

The Call to Service—Account in Mt 4. The 4 brothers began following Jesus, serving Him as “fishers of men.” They didn’t permanently leave their fishing occupations at this point.

The Call to Surrender—Lk 5:1-11 which is a different stage as Peter James and John are back in their boats fishing. Jesus repeats the instruction to follow Him and Luke notes

Luke 5:11 NASB95

11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.

4. The Call to Stewardship—Matt 10; Mk 3 Jesus appointed the 12 and sent them out to preach, giving them authority over unclean spirits and to heal all sorts of diseases and sicknesses.

5. The Call to Sacrifice—This happens after the resurrection of Jesus. Judas was no longer part of this intimate group and in commanding the disciples to go into the world, preaching the gospel—He was in essence calling each one to sacrifice their own lives for the sake of JC. History confirms that each of the disciples would ultimately lay down their lives in martyrdom, sacrificing their very lives for the gospel. Only John lives to an old age and still he was severely persecuted for faithfully serving Christ.

2 sets of brothers are included in this 2nd stage of calling.

Brothers on the Shore

18-20

Jesus 1st saw Peter and Andrew (they were brothers). Peter has the distinction of having 3 given names in NT: Simon, Cephas, Peter. Cephas is Aramaic equvalent of Gk Petros (both meaning rock). That is the name given to him by Jesus in Mt 16. There are at least 7 Simons in the Gospels and 2 of them were in the group of the 12. Matthew explains that the Simon who Jesus called along with his brother Andrew was the Simon who was called “Peter (by the time Matthew writes) to be distinguished from Simon the Zealot.

Jesus sees Peter and Andrew “casting a net…” Barclay notes how there were 3 forms of fishing in those days: line, net which was circular, bell-shaped draw net which would be thrown in such a way that it was spread out over the surface of the water and trapped the fish beneath it as it sank, and dragnet (normally let down from a boat and then drawn to shore by a crew positioned on the beach). Peter and Andrew were casting their net into the sea—standing on the shore. Matthew explains why— “for they were fishermen.” That was their vocation. It was what their father did and his father. This was the family business and they worked very hard with little down time—they were either sorting their catch, preparing for a catch or mending their nets. These men usually did not sit around doing nothing. James Patch explains the character of fishermen in the NT:

The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Volumes 1–5 Fisher, Fisherman

The strenuousness of the work (

vs 19—Again, there may have been previous contact b/t these and the Lord which would explain their readiness to leave their nets. Jesus wasn’t giving an invitation but an unconditional demand. A lit translation would be something like “come here, after me.” They understood what Jesus was calling them to as He explained by using a play on words—their profession was fishermen but He would make them fishers of men—their catch would no longer be drawing fish from the sea but drawing men up from the abyss of sin and death. This would involve a personal attachment as their immediate obedience portrays… “they followed Him.”

Brothers in the Boat

21-22

James and John were the others called to service by Jesus that day. Their father Zebedee was prosperous as he had several hired men working for him (Mk 1:20). It seems as though this family was well-to-do (John even knew Annas the high priest—Jn 18:15). The wife of Zebedee was Salome. She’s the one who asked Jesus to give her sons places of honor in the kingdom (Mt 20:20-21). She will be present at the crucifixion (Mk 15:40), she will be one of the women bringing spices to the tomb of Jesus after His burial. It has been suggested that Salome and Mary (the mother of Jesus) were sisters. This could be which would also explain Zebedee’s silence when Jesus calls James and John to follow him (as an uncle to Jesus). These 2 were in a boat mending their nets when Jesus called them—to the same task as Peter and Andrew. You again see their swift obedience and what they left.

Let me mention several qualities of fishermen that make them good fishers of men—of course the Lord will cultivate these character traits so that His purpose in choosing them will be magnified.

Patience—every fisherman knows you have to have patience fishing as the fish don’t typically take the bait quickly. Restlessness and quick movements are not good qualities of a fisherman. Fishers of men need to have patience b/c the preaching of the gospel may not yield quick results. Learning to wait while faithfully proclaiming the good news is important.

Perseverance—fishermen need to learn to not become discouraged. So he’ll fish in 1 place for a while, then he may go to another and fish for a while—and so on. Fishers of men must not become discouraged in the gospel ministry.

Courage—Like those in Jesus’ day, fishing on the Sea of Galilee was treacherous. He had to be ready to risk everything and face the fury of the sea and the strong gales. Likewise, those who share the good news must be aware of the danger in telling people the truth. Those who speak boldly know they are putting their reputation and very lives on the line.

Timeliness—Good fishermen know there are times when it is hopeless to fish. He knows where to cast and where not to. He knows when to cast and when not to. Fishers of men will have similar timeliness in sharing the good news. There will be times when people will welcome the truth and other times when people resent it. There are times when people respond in faith and other times people will harden their hearts against the truth.

There was one condition to these men becoming fishers of men. I said Jesus can cultivate these qualities in people so they are fit for the service of the King. But the one thing that was necessary for these and everyone else… “follow Me.” Obedience to this charge is paramount. For Peter, Andrew, James and John, to come after Jesus was to live with Him and learn by watching Him. It meant imitating His manner of ministry (caring for people, sensitivity to the needs of people around Him, taking time for others). They would take on His values and priorities, becoming passionate for the things He was. That was the only condition and the same is put toward each of us today—are you ready to follow Him in service of the king?

2) The King’s Priority

23a,b

How Jesus goes about His ministry reveals what He was truly passionate about and what His priorities were in coming to earth. His priority was “proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom.” He was continuing to preach what John began up to a year and a half earlier—calling people to repentance, readying themselves for the coming of the King and His kingdom. Jesus’ message was even more stern (especially as leaders would begin rejecting the message) and where He would rebuke the leaders He was also offering the marvelous grace to those who would put their trust in Him. Redemption is the message of Christ and the one He preached “until He was taken up” (according to Acts 1).

Matthew highlights the extent of the ministry of the Lord— “going throughout all Galilee.” This is important for Matthew as chapters 5-9 will detail what His Galilean ministry consists of. There were 204 cities and villages in Galilee. They were part of this small district (70 miles x 40 miles). Josephus says that each of these larger cities had no fewer than 15K people in each one. This makes for a pretty large population of nearly 3 million people in Galilee. If Jesus were to visit 2 villages/cities a day it would take Him 3 months to visit all of them. Matthew may not be implying that He did visit each one but to show that the ministry of Jesus was not confined to just a few places. The physical demands of such a travelling schedule would have been draining.

Acts 10:38 NASB95

38 “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Much of His time was spent in the “synagogues.” The term is lit “to lead together” and became the description of the meeting place where the Jewish people were led in worship, prayer, and the study of Scriptures. The center of Jewish life was in the synagogues. The establishment of these meeting places is uncertain but many scholars believe they began around the time of the Babylonian exile. In cities where even a small population of Jews you could find a synagogue. They were often built on hills so that they could be seen thruout the city. They are not unlike our buildings today where the church gathers to worship, to do life together, to pray with each other, to love one another and to serve and build up one another.

Synagogues are where Jews assembled together. It is where Jewish law was administered and punishment inflicted. On the Sabbath, visiting Jews were often asked to teach as part of their worship service and this is where Jesus would find the audience to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom.

The synagogue would also become the primary place of opposition to the LJC and Jesus would showcase the rampant hypocrisy of Jewish leaders in the synagogue:

Matthew 6:2 NASB95

2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full

Matthew 6:5 NASB95

5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

Matthew 23:6 NASB95

6 “They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues,

There’s a comment in Luke’s Gospel about the manner of Jesus’ teaching in the response of those who were hearing Him teach in the synagogue of Nazareth. After He opened to scroll to the text in Isaiah 61, He concluded by saying

Luke 4:21 NASB95

21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Luke 4:22 NASB95

22 And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”

Jesus spoke words of life, gracious words, powerful words—like no one before Him. His preaching about the kingdom reveals His priority of bringing life, redemption, reconciliation, forgiveness of sins to sinners. There is much for us to learn from our Master as we are called to follow Him, to embrace His priority as His disciples.

3) The King’s Person

23c-25

What is Jesus truly like? What kind of a person is He? How did He look at others? What did He do for them?

Matthew explains that while He was going about & teaching, He was also “healing every kind…” Jesus truly cared for those who were beset with such weakness, showed great compassion and did not turn anyone away.

The Gospels record 37 instances of Jesus performing miracles (many of these cases of healing), and not including the general nature of His ministry as in our vv today. Jesus performing miracles (defined: A miracle consists of an act of God’s power by which He intervenes in the physical world in suspension and contradiction to natural law)—these were intended to prove His deity and to validate His Messiahship. Matthew confirms that He went about healing every kind of diseases and every kind of sicknesses. This is a comprehensive ministry of healing. Though only 37 miracles are mentioned if we believe John (and we should):

John 20:30 NASB95

30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;

John 21:25 NASB95

25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.

Every kind of diseases—Matthew categorizes many of those who were brought to Jesus in this Galilean ministry:

All who were sick—general word describing any physical harm and various diseases and pains—diseases are any type of malady while pains (lit. severe pains) refers to the symptoms of those maladies

3 categories of diseases and pains:

Demoniacs— refers to those who are suffering b/c of demonic afflictions. Demon possession and affliction is going to increase significantly as Jesus is beginning His ministry as the titanic battle b/t God and Satan erupts on earth—humans are often the target of this spiritual war. Many of the physical and mental afflictions (true even today) are the result of Satan’s activity and carried out by his demons. Jesus had compassion for those under such affliction and healed them

Epileptics—the term is derived from the same root as “lunatic” lit. to be moonstruck. Ancient cultures believed that those who were suffering convulsions and seizures were under the influence of the moon. Those with these maladies were giving no indication for why they were experiencing convulsions and seizures—but Jesus healed them too.

Paralytics—is from a word describing general lameness. Some were lame from birth, others b/c of sicknesses and diseases. There were no medical cures for such conditions. Jesus had no difficulty healing those who were brought to Him.

This was a unique time in redemptive history. The authority of Jesus and that which He gave to His disciples to heal so as to verify the authenticity of the gospel of the kingdom was limited to that 1st century. There are several features of Jesus’ healing ministry that has not been duplicated since then:

Jesus healed directly (means differed—word, touch, prayer, even without being physically present)

Jesus healed instantaneously (only 3 exceptions where the delay was only in minutes—but for a purpose). There were no recovery periods, no relapses—complete restoration of health

Jesus healed all those who were brought to Him—and even those who asked that He heal another individual. He had no limitations

His ministry of healing proved that He was God, that God was compassionate toward sinners and that the message (the good news) about the coming kingdom was real. There’s a great deal about His person revealed in these healings.

As we close…I want to put before you what discipleship to JC fully means. I believe the call to follow Him is for everyone here—maybe its to call to salvation or to service, stewardship, surrender or sacrifice. There are 5 words I want to leave with you to show what it means to follow Jesus fully:

Abandonment

The call to follow Jesus is the call to leave behind everything (including comfort) that would keep up from devoting ourselves fully to LJC. Discipleship is about reorienting your life to His. The comforts and certainties of this world can no longer be your concerns as you follow Jesus. You are not pursuing earthly treasures but that which is eternal—this is your priority to honor the King.

Adherence

Discipleship means joining your life to that of JC. That’s what the term meant—to adhere to, to embrace the person and the teaching of another. It never refers to a casual adherent (as if there is such a thing)—one who is not fully commited to Christ. The NT does not know of such a person.

Dependence

As the disciples left their homes, livelihoods, comforts, they were depending fully on Jesus to meet their needs. And Jesus didn’t call them b/c they had so much to offer Him b/c they had nothing. In fact, they were narrow-minded and superstitious, full of prejudices, misconceptions, and animosities toward others. Jesus called them and as He calls us—depend on His sustaining grace

Trust

The disciples would learn from Jesus and would come to view Him as their Master. They would learn (sometimes the hard way) to trust in His authority. JC is the Master—He is your Master—He Is LORD! To follow Him is to trust Him, His sovereignty, His supremacy, His authority over every detail of your life.

Obedience

Obedience is synonymous with discipleship. One cannot be a disciple without living in obedience to Christ’s commands. And what that comes down to…every disciple is called to be a disciple-maker. Not called to be a spectator:

We are called:

To share the Word with others so that they will receive it.

To show the Word to others so that they will follow it.

To teach the Word to others so that they will spread it.

To serve the world with other disciples so together, we can impact the world

This is discipleship and what Jesus is calling each of you to today.