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Matthew 4:12-23
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 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.” From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 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. 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. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Continue scrolling to read reflection.

By: The Rev. Dr. W. Ross Blackburn

One of the matters with which we are rightly concerned is the matter of calling. What am I called to do? How can I best use the gifts and talents God has given me and to what purpose?

The calling of the disciples is highly instructive here. Note carefully the call. The disciples have a part, and Jesus has a part. Jesus calls them to follow him. That’s it. He does not call them to be fishers of men. They will do this, to be sure. But that is Jesus’ part—“I will make you fishers of men.” Their call is to follow. Jesus’ call is to transform them into men that carry out the work He has given them to do.

In making this distinction we are not splitting hairs. Consider the alternative. What would it look like for the disciples to become fishers of men without following Jesus? How would they do it? And in whose strength? Remember, this is the Peter who confidently boasted that he would never deny Jesus, only to do that very thing when called to stand with Him. This is the James and John who argued about who was the greatest and sought privileged places at Jesus’ throne and who could not cast the demon out a convulsing boy, who confidently said they could drink his cup of suffering and who, with Peter, fell asleep as Jesus toiled in anguish in Gethsemane.

We are called to Jesus before we are ever called to a task. It is not a choice, an either/or, as if we might be called to Jesus and not called to serve him and one another in a particular way. But there is an order to the work of the Gospel that we too often forget, to our peril and to the peril of the work that God would have us to do. The Scriptures speak of this in various ways. “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). “For the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Neh. 8:10). “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:10).

Laboring for life is folly apart from following Jesus. The opposition is great, the encouragement sparse, the work lonely, and the progress often very difficult to measure. But the promise is full of hope—for as we follow him, he will fit us for our calling; as we abide in him, he will have us bear fruit; as we rely upon him in our weakness, he will give us strength. For nothing will be impossible with God (Luke 1:37).