Jesus Calls His Disciples- Matthew 4:17-25

ANALYSIS
After being tested in the wilderness, Jesus began his earthly ministry. He began to preach and had the same message as John the Baptist. Traveling throughout the land he called for the people to “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” In the first part of this passage we see Jesus calling the first four of his disciples- Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John. There are a few noteworthy examples that we see in Christ’s calling of the disciples. We see first, the characteristics of the call, and second, the characteristics of the response.
In the calling of the disciples, Jesus’ command is simple- follow me. We as Christians are called to life a life following diligently in the footsteps of Christ, daily being conformed to his image. Jesus continues his call saying, “And I will make you fishers of men.” This brilliant use of wordplay on their profession as fishermen describes the nature of what it means to follow Christ. We are called to spread the Gospel, to go to all corners of the world making disciples and baptizing them. From this passage we also see that it was Christ who sought out his disciples and drew them to himself.
The second point of interest is the disciple’s response. In the case of Simon Peter and Andrew, as well as James and John, it stands as significant the level of faith and trust that is displayed. In both examples the Word says that “immediately” they followed Christ, leaving boats and nets behind. They did not hesitate. They left their source of income, and thus their “security,” and thrust themselves solely at the feet of Christ. James and John also left their father Zebedee behind. Jesus said that if anyone loves father or mother more than Him, that person is not worthy of Him. The disciples give us a great example to follow in this passage.
Verses 23-25 sum up the beginning of Jesus ministry. Three activities are given as comprising his ministry at this point- Teaching in synagogues, proclaiming the gospel and healing the diseased and afflicted. We too, as followers of Christ, need to be teaching the word, evangelizing the lost, and reaching out to the needy.

RESPONSE
This is a rich passage with numerous applications. For the purpose of this article, I am focusing on the meaning of being a Christian and how modern evangelicalism, myself included, has gone astray. Contrary to popular opinion, we who profess Christ are not called to a “Purpose Driven” life, nor are we called to “live our best life now.” We are called to follow Christ, to be continually conformed to his image. In following HIM, we must be willing to lay down our careers, our sense of security, and even our own family if the situation demands it. Nothing may stand between us and God. Nothing may prevent our worship of him. Nothing may take his rightful place as first in our lives. We are called, not to live our best life now but to live our best life later. We are not to cherish the perishable things of this world but the imperishable.