The First Disciples – Introduction
Today, we continue our study of the first few chapters of the Gospel of Matthew. Here’s a quick outline of what we’ve studied so far in Matthew:
Chapters 1-2: Jesus’ Birth & Escape to Egypt
Chapter 3: Jesus & John the Baptist
Chapter 4: Jesus’ Ministry Begins
Today, we read the story of Jesus calling the first disciples.
Matthew 4:18-2218 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.
21 A little
farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a
boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to
come, too. 22 They
immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.
Along the Shores of the Sea of Galilee
In Jesus’ time, the Sea of Galilee was a bustling center of life, work, and trade in northern Israel. The large freshwater lake was a vital hub for fishing, with towns like Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Tiberias lining its shores. It’s about 33 miles to walk all the way around the lake, which would take several days of hard walking. But one could use a boat to cross the 8-mile-wide lake in about 3 hours.
It was along the shores of the Sea of Galilee that Jesus would do the majority of His ministry. And it was along these shores that Jesus called His first Disciples. First, He found two brothers, Peter and Andrew, who fished for a living. “Come follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”
“And they left their nets at once and followed him.”
Peter and Andrew immediately left their nets to follow Jesus. Leaving their nets means they left behind their careers and livelihoods. Fishing wasn’t a fun weekend hobby for them—this was how they put bread on the table so their families could survive. Jesus asked them to walk away from their nets and come follow Him. And they did.
I want to point out that Peter and Andrew (and James and John) probably already knew Jesus (or knew of Him). Jesus grew up in Nazareth, which is only about a day’s journey from Capernaum. And before He began His ministry, Jesus was a carpenter (actually a better translation is craftsman or construction worker). And Jesus likely worked in Capernaum and probably knew the fishermen. At the very least, they knew something about the rising fame of this new teacher.
Peter and Andrew answered the call to leave their fishing careers to follow Jesus. James and John not only left behind their careers, they left their father’s family fishing business. The fact they were mending the nets on their father’s boat seems to indicate Zebedee’s fishing business was a whole enterprise—not just a small business. And they left it all behind to follow Jesus.
Jesus Doesn’t Need Our Help. We Need to Help JesusNow I want you to think about something. This seems like a lot of work and a lot of sacrifice. Jesus was asking a lot. Leave behind your career, your ability to make a living, to provide food for you and your family and keep a roof over your head. Leave your father to take care of his fishing business all by himself.
But if Jesus is so great and so powerful, why did He
want people to help Him save the world?
Jesus didn’t need people to help Him. But we need to participate in the salvation of the world in order to be saved ourselves. Helping Jesus is part of our salvation. Jesus doesn’t need our help, but we need to help Jesus. Somehow, through helping Jesus, we find healing and restoration for our soul.
There’s a powerful principle in Alcoholics Anonymous that speaks directly to our life of faith: helping others is essential to healing. In AA, those who find freedom from addiction are taught that one of the best ways to stay sober is to help someone else on the same journey. It’s not just a good deed—it’s part of their own recovery.
In the same way, as followers of Jesus, we are not just saved from sin so we can sit back and enjoy the blessings. We are saved to serve. Our healing deepens when we help others find their healing in Christ. We grow stronger in our walk when we walk alongside someone else. Jesus doesn’t need our help in a cosmic sense—He’s the Lord of all. But in His mercy, He invites us to be part of His work in the world.
Helping others isn’t a bonus part of Christianity—it’s part of our transformation. When we serve, give, pray for, and walk with others, we’re reminded of what Jesus did for us. We live out our faith. And in that, we recover more fully from the grip of sin and step more deeply into the life of the Kingdom.
What “Nets” Do You Need to Leave Behind?
So Jesus comes and He calls each of us: “Come follow me…” He chooses us before we choose Him. And He chooses all of us. No matter what you’ve done. No matter who you are. You are never too good or too bad or too broken for Jesus to choose you. Jesus chose you to be His follower, His disciple, to fish for people. But that leaves two questions for you: Will you choose Him? And What nets do you need to leave behind?
Some of the "nets" we may need to leave
behind to follow Jesus aren't made of rope—they're the things that entangle our
hearts. It could be the comfort of routine, the pursuit of success, unhealthy
relationships, guilt from the past, or even our own pride and self-sufficiency.
Like the disciples who dropped their fishing nets to follow Jesus, we’re called
to let go of whatever keeps us from fully trusting Him. Leaving those nets
behind can be scary, but it’s the first step toward a life of greater purpose, peace,
and freedom in Christ.
Closing Ceremony – Leave Your Nets
When Jesus called Peter, Andrew,
James, and John, He didn’t just give them advice—He gave them a choice: Leave
your nets and follow Me. Those nets weren’t bad in themselves, but they
were holding them back from the life Jesus had for them.
Today, I want to invite you
to do something simple, but powerful. Ask yourself:
What net
is God calling me to leave behind?
Maybe it’s fear. Maybe it’s a habit, a distraction, or something good that’s just
taken first place in your life instead of Jesus.
Write it down on a piece of paper—just between you and God—and when you’re ready, come forward and leave it at the altar as you kneel for a time of prayer. Let that act be your way of saying, ‘Jesus, I’m ready to follow You more faithfully.’"
Addendum
I realized after preaching this sermon, I
probably should have shared more supporting evidence about why I think Peter,
Andrew, James, and John may have already known Jesus before He asked them to
follow Him. For example, in John’s
Gospel (1:35–42), Andrew was with John the Baptist when Jesus passed by and
John said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world…” Later
in the Gospel of John, Andrew went and told his brother Peter about Jesus.
Luke 5 also gives more context to the calling of Peter. Jesus gets into Peter’s boat and asks him to put out a little from shore. That kind of request suggests some kind of prior relationship—most people wouldn’t let a stranger just borrow their boat. Plus, Peter calls Him “Master,” a term of respect for a known rabbi or spiritual teacher.
Add to that the closeness of Nazareth to towns along the Sea of Galilee and the nature of small, tight-knit Jewish communities of the time—it seems likely they at least knew of Jesus beforehand. It’s not certain, of course, but I think it’s a fair conclusion to consider.