Warrior Daily Devotional, Matthew 4:18-22, Fishers of Men
Matthew 4:18-22 “While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.2”(ESV)
Building a team is one of the most difficult and enjoyable parts of leadership. Find the right people who commonly agree on the mission and direction you are going, and the trip’s inevitable pitfalls become opportunities to grow together.
Matthew provides a front row seat to a leader doing exactly that, assembling a small group of men who will at one point in the near future die for the very mission they are being called to.
On the surface, it might seem strange that these fishermen would drop everything, their livelihood, their routine, their family, to follow a teacher on the shoreline. But that’s not the full picture. Simon and Andrew already knew the prophecies of the coming Messiah. They had heard early reports of His works, and Andrew had already spent personal time with Jesus, pointed out by John the Baptist as the Lamb of God.
Andrew’s response to all this? He went and found his brother Simon and said, “We have found the Messiah.” Andrew became the first evangelist in the New Testament, and his first convert was his own brother. Now that’s pretty cool.
So when Jesus shows up at that shoreline, this was not a cold introduction. This is a moment of decision for these men, who have been watching, listening, and yearning for something they can’t yet explain.
Now was the time to decide, and here’s where this passage lands for all of us. We want to follow Jesus on our own terms, in our own time, and in our own way. But that’s not the offer he makes. He met these men in the middle of their workday. They were doing what they always did, and Jesus walked into that moment and redefined everything. The promise he offers? “I’ll make you fishers of men.”
Their response should be ours. They dropped their nets and immediately (mentioned twice) followed.
So, friends, have you accepted the call that only He can offer?
And what are your efforts in casting your nets showing?
Stay on Mission
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