Red Letter Bible Study--Matthew 4:17-25 (Jesus calls His first disciples)

Matthew 4:17-25 (Mark 1:14-20; Luke 4:14-15)

Comprehension

Jesus has left Nazareth and is living in Capernaum by the sea, just like Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 9:1-7 (Beautiful verses--popular at Christmas 💓)  He left due to John the Baptizer being arrested.  Jesus then starts preaching repentance and the approaching VERY NEAR Kingdom of God.  Jesus begins calling His disciples, 4 in these verses.  He invites them to follow Him and join in His ministry of preaching, teaching, proclaiming the gospel, and healing.  It wasn't long before Jesus was famous and swamped with people looking for physical, mental, and emotional relief.  

Interpretation

They say the first sentence of a book is the most important, because it needs to grab the reader's attention and draw them in.   Jesus gave us a concise first sentence of His ministry that would set the stage for the next three years "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel."(Mark's version)  The word for gospel here means the entire Bible, not "just"  how a person becomes a Christian.  (Isn't Jesus so good at promoting study of His Word?  2 days and already 2 reminders 😉) And wow, did His first line grab their attention and draw them in!!  The word for "I will" (make you fishers of men) means "I will equip you, I will make you fit, I will qualify you." Starting with the 4 men He called--two of whom left their dad in the family boat with the hired servants and followed immediately-- the crowd continued to grow and the Name Jesus became FAMOUS!!  

Application

Although this calling happened 2,000-ish years ago, the call is still the same.  Jesus is still announcing the need to repent, believe, follow, and proclaim the gospel.  We need to follow the pattern of the first disciples and follow immediately.  I can think of a million excuses why "immediately" doesn't fit in my agenda, but God opens doors.  I am just a stay at home wife, mom, and grammie who feels a call to proclaim the gospel, but to who? I don't work outside the home, so who would be my circle of influence?  My family has heard it, so I've done my job, right?  I'm not a trained Bible teacher or even a regular teacher. But the same phrase "I WILL equip and qualify and make you fit" in the original call applies to me and to you. The blessing of the internet has allowed me to find a place to read, listen, grow, learn, and now teach in a way I never dreamed possible. Once you've heard the good news of Jesus, repent and believe.  The same call Jesus put out to His first disciples is for us today "Follow and proclaim the gospel".  As we each follow our call to wherever and whoever is our circle of influence, let's work together to make His Name Famous!!