Latest / Reformed Thinking / Follow Me: The King’s Summons and the Making of Fishers of Men (Matthew 4:18–22)

Transcript

Follow Me: The King’s Summons and the Making of Fishers of Men (Matthew 4:18–22) · Reformed Thinking

0:00
Welcome back to Reformed Thinking and another episode of
0:02
The Deep Dive. Nice to be here.
0:04
So today we're heading to the Sea of Galilee.
0:07
Try and get the scene in your mind.
0:10
Sun on the water, maybe early morning.
0:12
It's early in Jesus's ministry and you see these men just
0:18
working hard. Physical labor, fishermen.
0:22
Yeah. Totally absorbed in what they're
0:24
doing, mending Nets, casting Nets.
0:26
It's messy, it's strenuous, it's well, it's their life, their
0:30
livelihood. Ordinary stuff, paying the
0:32
bills, providing for the family, you know, focused on the skill,
0:35
the technique, the immediate task.
0:37
Absolute routine. And then suddenly into that
0:39
everyday scene steps Jesus of Nazareth.
0:42
And with just a few words, a command really, He tells them to
0:45
drop everything instantly, change their whole direction,
0:49
their whole allegiance. It's quite a collision, isn't
0:51
it, That ordinary world meeting? Well, the King's command and
0:54
that collision right there in Matthew 4, verses 18 to 22 is
0:58
what we're diving into it. Really is.
0:59
It looks simple, maybe even a bit charming on the surface.
1:02
You know the start of the adventure, right?
1:04
Easy to just skim past it. But when you dig into the
1:06
sources, look at Matthew's structure, the specific Greek
1:09
words he chooses, how it connects back to the Old
1:12
Testament, you see it's way more than an anecdote.
1:14
It's. Deliberate like a blueprint.
1:16
Exactly. It's Matthew laying down the
1:19
pattern for what discipleship actually means, what allegiance
1:22
to the king looks like from the very beginning.
1:24
So. That's our goal today.
1:26
We want to unpack that pattern. What does following Christ cost?
1:30
How is it even possible? And you know, what's the point
1:33
of it all? Matthew packs a lot into these
1:36
few verses. You get clear pointers towards
1:38
Christ's lordship, how God's word works.
1:41
When he calls someone. It's dense.
1:43
Yeah, it's a big claim that so much doctrine is packed into
1:45
just, what, four or five verses? It is, but Matthew's very
1:49
intentional. He's like an architect carefully
1:51
building his case, and a huge part of understanding the call
1:54
itself is looking at what Matthew puts before it.
1:57
We need to know who's doing the calling.
1:59
OK, so let's start there. The context for this royal
2:02
summons? Right, the structure, Matthew's
2:04
structure is just vital here. He doesn't drop us onto the
2:07
beach cold. He very carefully places this
2:10
call scene verses 18 to 22, right after a sequence that
2:14
establishes Jesus's identity and, crucially, his authority.
2:19
He's building the case for the speaker, so where does that
2:21
build up start? It really kicks off publicly at
2:24
the Jordan River with Jesus's baptism, Matthew 3.13 and
2:28
following. The baptism or John the Baptist
2:30
is hesitant at first. Right, John says I need to be
2:33
baptized by you, and do you come to me?
2:36
And Jesus insists, saying it's necessary to fulfill all
2:39
righteousness. Which is Jesus the Sinless 1
2:42
Identifying with sinful humanity, right Setting himself
2:45
up for his work. Precisely.
2:46
He's voluntarily stepping into that place.
2:48
And then comes the really stunning moment, the Triune
2:51
testimony. The heavens open, the Spirit
2:53
comes down like a dove lighting on him.
2:55
And the Father's voice from heaven declares, This is my
2:57
beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.
3:00
Matthew 3.17. That declaration is just loaded.
3:03
It absolutely is. The Father is quoting an echoing
3:06
Psalm to the royal Psalm. He's publicly identifying Jesus
3:10
as the Messiah, the anointed King, the divine Son.
3:13
His royal credentials, the basis for his authority to command
3:16
allegiance, are stamped right there by heaven itself, before
3:20
he even calls Peter and Andrew. So, identity confirmed he's the
3:23
royal son. What's the next piece Matthew
3:26
puts in place? Immediately after the divine
3:28
approval, Matthew shows us the divine sun undergoing testing
3:31
the temptation in the wilderness.
3:33
Matthew 4, verses 1 to 11. Why is that placement so
3:36
significant after the high point of the baptism?
3:39
Because it establishes his moral authority, his right to command
3:43
isn't just based on status, but on perfect obedience.
3:46
The Spirit leads him into the wilderness to be tempted by the
3:49
devil. And he stands firm where where
3:52
Israel failed in their wilderness wanderings.
3:54
Exactly. He's the true obedient son.
3:57
And notice how he stands firm. He doesn't use divine power like
4:00
a magic wand. No, he uses scripture every
4:03
single time he quotes Deuteronomy.
4:05
Right. He answers every assault with
4:07
God's Word. Our sources sometimes call this
4:09
His refusal of a crown without a cross.
4:12
He won't shortcut the Father's plan.
4:14
Can you breakdown those temptations quickly?
4:16
What was Satan trying to get him to do?
4:18
Well first turn stones to bread, use his divine power for selfish
4:22
provision outside the Father's timing and will. 2nd jump from
4:26
the temple pinnacle. Force God's hand.
4:29
Create a spectacle to prove his identity rather than trusting
4:32
God's way. Demanding a sign, essentially.
4:35
Yeah and 3rd bow down to Satan in exchange for all the kingdoms
4:38
of the world. Take the crown, the dominion,
4:41
but bypass the suffering, Bypass the cross.
4:44
Accept worldly power from the wrong source.
4:47
And Jesus resists all three through perfect obedience to the
4:50
Father's Word. Yes.
4:51
So when he later walks up to those fishermen, the words
4:53
follow me come from someone who is not only divinely declared as
4:57
the Son, but who has also proven his perfect faithfulness and
5:00
conquered the tempter through submission.
5:02
His word carries immense weight. OK, so royal identity
5:06
established of the baptism, moral authority proven in the
5:09
temptation. Now where does the call actually
5:14
happen? The setting.
5:16
Matthew tells us that after John the Baptist is arrested, a key
5:19
trigger Jesus withdraws from Judea and moves N He leaves
5:23
Nazareth and makes his base in Capernaum.
5:26
Capernaum, right by the Sea of Galilee.
5:28
Yes, and Matthew makes a point of telling us this is in the
5:30
region of Zebulun and Naftali. He explicitly says this fulfills
5:35
the prophecy of Isaiah 9. The land of Zebulun and the land
5:38
of Naftali. The way of the sea beyond the
5:40
Jordan. Galilee of the Gentiles.
5:42
The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light.
5:45
Exactly. Matthew wants us to see this
5:47
move as prophetically significant.
5:49
Jesus is intentionally beginning his public ministry bringing the
5:52
light of the Kingdom to this somewhat overlooked, religiously
5:55
mixed area Galilee of the Gentiles.
5:58
So even the geography hints at the future scope of the mission,
6:02
starting here but destined for. Destined for the nation's It's a
6:05
subtle but clear signal right at the start.
6:08
The King is beginning his campaign in the Borderlands in
6:10
the darkness, which makes the light seem even brighter.
6:13
OK, so he's in Capernaum and then just before he finds the
6:16
disciples, Matthew gives us Jesus opening sermon theme.
6:20
He uses that phrase from that time Jesus began to preach.
6:23
Right, Matthew 4.17. That phrase marks a new phase.
6:27
And what's the core message? Repent, for the Kingdom of
6:30
Heaven is at hand. The Kingdom of Heaven, Matthew's
6:33
preferred term for God's reign? Yes.
6:36
It means God's kingly rule is breaking into history, becoming
6:39
present and active in the person and work of Jesus himself.
6:43
The King is here and his Kingdom is arriving.
6:46
And the proper response to the Kingdom drawing here isn't just,
6:49
oh, that's interesting. It's.
6:50
Repentance, metanoia, a complete turn around, a change of mind,
6:54
allegiance, direction. You have to submit to the King
6:56
whose reign is arriving. So that's the immediate context
6:59
when Jesus walks up to Simon and Andrew casting their net, He's
7:02
not just some interesting new teacher looking for students.
7:05
Not at all. He is the divinely attested Son,
7:08
the temptation conquering King, the fulfiller of prophecy who
7:11
has just announced that God's reign is here and demands
7:14
repentance. His call to follow me is a royal
7:17
summons carrying absolute authority.
7:19
The cost involved only makes sense in light of who is
7:22
speaking. OK so context established, the
7:25
king is on the shore. NO0IN on the actual words he
7:29
speaks, it seems like a two-part statement, really.
7:31
A command, and then something else, a promise.
7:34
That's a great way to put it. It's a command coupled with a
7:37
guarantee. Let's take the command first.
7:38
Follow me. Simple words, but packed with
7:41
meaning. Absolutely.
7:42
The Greek is due to Upishmu literally come after me.
7:46
The focus is intensely personal. It's not follow my ideas or join
7:50
my movement, it's follow me. Attachment to his person.
7:53
Yes, allegiance is directed to the king himself, not to a
7:57
system or a program. And this immediately flips the
8:00
script on how things usually worked.
8:01
How so? Well, in that time, typically a
8:04
student would seek out a rabbi they admired.
8:06
They'd apply, asked to follow the initiative came from the
8:09
student. But here, here Jesus takes the
8:11
initiative. He chooses, He summons that act
8:14
itself demonstrates his sovereignty, his lordship.
8:17
He's not applying for followers, he's drafting them.
8:20
And that word, O peace after or behind me, what does that tell
8:25
us? It defines the relationship
8:27
structure. It's not come alongside me as
8:29
equals, it's come behind me, follow my lead.
8:32
There's a clear direction, a clear hierarchy.
8:35
The disciple follows in the master steps.
8:38
You mentioned the rabbis sometimes talked about being
8:40
covered in the dust from the rabbis feet.
8:42
That's the idea. Following closely, learning,
8:44
imitating. So the simple command follow me
8:48
implies leaving other things behind.
8:49
Because you can only truly follow one master.
8:52
The cost is sort of baked into the command itself.
8:55
OK, so that's the command, that demand for allegiance.
8:58
But then he immediately adds the second part.
9:00
And I will make you fishers of men.
9:01
This is the guarantee the royal pledge and that verb poyosha I
9:06
will make is incredibly significant.
9:08
Why that specific verb? It's a verb that resonates with
9:11
divine creative power. Think Genesis 1.
9:15
Let us make man in our image or God's covenant promises to
9:18
Abraham. I will make of you a great
9:21
nation. When God or the divine King says
9:24
I will make, it's not just a prediction, it's a creative act,
9:28
a sovereign decree. So he's not just saying if you
9:31
follow me, you'll eventually learn how to reach people, he's
9:33
saying. He's saying I will bring about
9:35
this transformation in you. I will equip you, I will give
9:38
you the capacity for this new task.
9:41
The ability to fulfill the mission comes from him, not from
9:44
them. Wow.
9:45
So the command to follow is joined immediately with the
9:47
confidence that he will provide what's needed.
9:50
Exactly. Duty is inseparable from divine
9:53
enabling. They aren't just given a job
9:55
description they have to figure out.
9:56
They're given a promise that ensures their adequacy for the
9:58
job comes from the one who called them.
10:00
And the way he phrases it, I will make you fishers.
10:03
That seems pointed. Very much so.
10:05
Notice he doesn't say go make yourselves fishers of men or try
10:09
hard to become fishers of men. The agency, the power to become
10:13
rests entirely with him. So this pushes back against any
10:16
idea that ministry success depends primarily on our own
10:21
cleverness or effort. Absolutely.
10:24
It counters that pragmatic, self reliant spirit.
10:27
It forces faith away from human technique and on to Christ's
10:31
promise. Their job is to follow.
10:33
His job is to make them into what He needs them to be for the
10:37
mission. That must have been, well,
10:38
reassuring maybe, given what they were being asked to leave
10:42
behind. It had to be.
10:43
Imagine being told to abandon your entire life for a task you
10:46
have no experience in. The fear of failure would be
10:49
immense, but the promise I who will make you shifts the ground.
10:53
The outcome depends on his power, not their potential.
10:56
So this two-part word command plus guarantee defines
11:00
discipleship right from the start.
11:01
You're called to follow and you're assured that the caller
11:03
will equip you. Precisely.
11:05
It's not self initiated and it's not self sustained.
11:08
The king commands and the king provides.
11:10
That's the foundational dynamic. OK, so we have the King's
11:12
authoritative command and his powerful guarantee.
11:16
Now let's look at the response. How do these men react?
11:19
Because Matthew seems very interested in the how and when
11:21
of their response. He definitely is.
11:24
Matthew structures this whole section very deliberately.
11:27
He gives us 2 parallel scenes, first Peter and Andrew, then
11:31
James and John. It's like ABC then ABC.
11:34
Setting up a pattern, a template.
11:36
Exactly. He wants us to see this as the
11:39
standard response and the crucial link between these two
11:42
scenes. The word that emphasizes the
11:44
tempo of their faith is that adverb youthis.
11:47
Youthis. Meaning immediately or at once.
11:51
Matthew uses it in verse 20 for Peter and Andrew, and again in
11:55
verse 22 for James and John. Immediately they left their
11:58
nests, immediately they left the boat in their father.
12:00
He really stresses that immediacy.
12:02
Why is that so important? Because it shows there's no gap
12:04
between the King's word and their action.
12:06
It's cause and effect instantly. This isn't just about being
12:09
prompt. It's a narrative illustration of
12:11
what theologians call effectual calling.
12:13
OK, unpack that term effectual calling.
12:15
It means that when God sovereignly chooses to save
12:18
someone, His call through the gospel is accompanied by the
12:21
internal work of the Holy Spirit making that call effective.
12:25
The Spirit changes, the heart renews the will, so that the
12:28
person called willingly and certainly responds in faith.
12:33
So the immediately isn't just impressive human decisiveness.
12:36
It's evidence that the call itself carried the power to
12:39
produce the response. The Word didn't just invite, it
12:43
created the obedience it demanded.
12:46
This lines up perfectly with, say, the Westminster Confessions
12:49
description of effectual calling God drawing sinners by his Word
12:53
and Spirit, renewing their will so they come freely yet
12:56
infallibly. The promptness proves the power
12:59
behind the call, yes. There's no scene of them
13:01
weighing the pros and cons, negotiating terms, or asking for
13:04
time to think it over. Matthew presents it as
13:07
instantaneous obedience. This implicitly rebukes any idea
13:10
that we can put the King's summons on hold.
13:12
Delay isn't prudence here, it's resistance.
13:14
Or at least indifference. The King's speaks, The subject
13:17
obeys. That's the tempo Matthew
13:19
establishes immediately. OK, So the response is
13:21
immediate. Now let's look at the cost of
13:24
that immediate response, because Matthew also seems to structure
13:28
the cost in a specific way across the two scenes.
13:32
He does. There's a clear escalation in
13:34
what is left behind. It's not just repetition, it's a
13:37
rising tide of renunciation. So.
13:40
Scene one Peter and Andrew, what do they leave?
13:44
They were casting a net, Matthew says, likely an anthablestron, A
13:48
circular casting net thrown from the shore or while waiting, and
13:52
verse 20 says immediately they left their Nets and followed
13:55
him. The Nets.
13:57
What does leaving the Nets signify?
13:59
It's their tools, their equipment, the means by which
14:02
they earn their daily bread. For fishermen living probably
14:04
close to the margin, leaving the Nets means abandoning their
14:07
immediate income source, their trade skill in action.
14:10
It's the tangible symbol of their livelihood.
14:12
Exactly. It's the first rival trust.
14:14
Most people's primary security is tied up in their work, their
14:17
income. Jesus demands that be released.
14:19
Let go. The Greek word is the Fentes,
14:21
letting go, abandoning. OK, so livelihood first, then
14:24
scene 2, James and John. What's different here?
14:27
They're in the boat with their father Zebedee, and they're
14:30
mending their Nets. Katara Santos so maybe preparing
14:34
for the next outing, maintaining their gear.
14:36
And what do they leave? Verse 22 says immediately they
14:40
left the boat and their father and followed him.
14:42
Notice the additions. The boat that seems like a step
14:45
up from just the Nets. It is.
14:47
The Nets are tools. The boat is capital.
14:50
It's the family business asset, Especially if Zebedee, as Mark's
14:54
parallel account mentions, had hired servants.
14:57
Awning a boat suggests a slightly more established
15:00
enterprise. Leaving the boat is leaving the
15:02
family's investment, the core of their economic stability.
15:06
A bigger financial sacrifice. But then there's the really
15:09
striking part. And their father.
15:11
Yes, this is the peak of the cost in this narrative.
15:14
In that culture, family ties, especially the father son
15:17
relationship and carrying on the family trade, we're absolutely
15:20
central to identity, honor and social standing.
15:23
Leaving your father in the middle of work without
15:26
discussion? That would have been shocking.
15:27
Deeply shocking. It's sacrificing kinship, duty,
15:31
inheritance, social place. Everything was interwoven.
15:34
Craft kin lace. This is a radical break.
15:39
O Matthew deliberately shows this progression from tools,
15:43
Nets to capital boat to the deepest human tie.
15:47
Father. Why structure it that way?
15:50
To show the escalating total claim of Christ's Lordship
15:53
allegiance to the Son, the King must supersede everything else
15:56
livelihood, financial security, even the most fundamental family
16:00
bonds. It perfectly sets up what Jesus
16:02
says later, doesn't it? Whoever loves Father or Mother
16:04
more than me is not worthy of me.
16:06
Precisely Matthew 10.37. This narrative is the lived out
16:10
example of that principle right at the start.
16:12
Renunciation is an optional It's the necessary path for anyone
16:15
who recognizes Jesus's supreme claim.
16:18
It's not about earning salvation, but about the
16:20
alignment of loyalties that flows from recognizing the King.
16:23
And again, the immediately attached to leaving the boat and
16:25
the father underscores the absolute non negotiable nature
16:28
of the summons. No hesitation, no bargaining.
16:31
The king calls and everything else falls into second place
16:33
instantly. All right, so they followed
16:35
immediately, leaving everything behind.
16:37
Let's circle back to the mission.
16:38
Jesus gives them that guarantee. I will make you fishers of men.
16:42
Haley Sunserpen, Fishers of people.
16:45
It's a brilliant move by Jesus. He doesn't tell them to forget
16:48
everything they know about fishing.
16:49
No, he reframes it. He takes their existing skill,
16:52
their vocation, catching fish, and redirects it towards a new
16:56
target. Yes, the target is now people.
16:59
He transposes their trade into a spiritual key.
17:02
This becomes the core metaphor for their new mission, gathering
17:06
people into the Kingdom. It's the seed form of the Great
17:09
Commission, really. But that phrase features of men.
17:12
It's not maybe as gentle as it sounds in English sometimes.
17:17
Doesn't it carry some heavier Old Testament echoes?
17:19
It definitely does. When you trace that fishing
17:21
imagery back, it has a dual sense.
17:23
It can mean rescue, but it often carries connotations of
17:27
judgement or gathering for reckoning.
17:28
OK, give us the judge and side first.
17:30
Think of Jeremiah 16.1 Stein. God says he's sending many
17:34
fishers and many hunters to catch the people of Israel for
17:37
judgment they won't escape. Or Habakkuk, one where the
17:41
wicked Chaldeans are depicted as fishermen sweeping up nations in
17:44
their Nets for destruction. Catching fish isn't always a
17:47
good thing for the fish. Not at all, and Matthew himself
17:49
reinforces this edge later in the parable of the dragnet in
17:52
chapter 13. The net gathers all kinds of
17:55
fish, good and bad. But then comes the sorting, and
17:58
the bad are thrown into the fiery furnace.
18:00
So the net gathers, yes, but gathering can lead to sifting
18:04
and judgment. OK.
18:05
So there's that element of judgment or reckoning.
18:07
But you said it's dual. What's the other side?
18:10
There's also a stream of rescue and life associated with
18:12
abundant fishing. The most vivid picture is
18:15
probably Ezekiel 47, the vision of the river flowing from the
18:19
temple. Wherever the river goes, it
18:21
brings lice and the Dead Sea becomes fresh, teeming with
18:23
fish. Verse 10 says fishermen will
18:25
stand beside the sea. It's fish will be a very many
18:28
kinds, like the fish of the great sea.
18:30
It's an image of life and blessing spreading out from
18:33
God's presence. And Lute's account of the
18:35
miraculous catch of fish, right around the same time as this
18:38
call uses a word that means catch alive.
18:41
Yes, Zugresh Luke emphasizes the life giving rescue aspect.
18:46
So the mission Jesus gives them, being fishers of men, holds both
18:50
realities intention. It's a gathering that brings
18:54
rescue and life to those who respond in faith.
18:56
But it also inevitably involves a sifting, a gathering that
18:59
leads towards judgement for those who refuse the King.
19:02
The gospel message itself does that, doesn't it?
19:05
It's life to some, but it exposes the unbelief of others.
19:09
It is the dividing line. So the mission is inherently
19:12
prophetic, carried out by the Word, and it accomplishes both
19:14
rescue and sifting simultaneously.
19:17
Now, you mentioned James and John were mending their Nets
19:20
when Jesus called them. Is there anything significant
19:22
about that specific activity? I think there is.
19:25
The Greek verb is Qatar tizu. It means to mend, repair,
19:28
restore, make, fit, equip. Well that same verb family shows
19:32
up in other important places. Paul uses it in Ephesians 4
19:36
point well when he talks about the pastors and teachers God
19:39
gives to equip the Saints for the work of ministry.
19:42
Proston, Katartis. Montuna Hagen.
19:46
So the word used for mending fishing Nets is related to the
19:49
word for equipping people for ministry.
19:51
Exactly. It's a beautiful resonance.
19:53
The Lord finds them physically mending their Nets, making them
19:57
fit for catching fish, and He promises to spiritually mend or
20:00
equip them, make them fit for catching people.
20:03
It subtly reinforces that the equipping for the mission comes
20:06
from him. He makes them ready.
20:08
That ties back perfectly to the I will make you promise.
20:11
He finds him engaged in preparation and promises to
20:14
undertake their ultimate preparation himself.
20:16
Yes, and it also connects to the idea that the good works of
20:19
ministry are the fruit of his grace, His equipping work in us,
20:22
not something we achieved to earn His favor.
20:25
He fits us for the task He assigns.
20:27
OK, this is really rich. Let's try to synthesize some of
20:29
this for listeners who think in terms of reformed theology.
20:32
This passage seems to hit several keynotes very clearly.
20:35
Oh, absolutely. You can draw out several core
20:38
doctrines right from the structure and language Matthew
20:40
uses here. What's the first, most obvious
20:43
one? Effectual calling.
20:45
We touched on it with the word immediately.
20:47
Right, the youth theists. How does that instantaneous
20:50
response nail down effectual calling as opposed to maybe just
20:55
say Pervenient grace or a more synergistic view?
20:59
Because Matthew gives no hint of internal deliberation or human
21:03
contribution before the response, the word comes.
21:06
The response happens. It pictures the call as
21:08
inherently powerful, accomplishing what it demands.
21:12
As the Westminster Confession puts it, the spirit renews the
21:15
will, making the person able and willing freely to answer his
21:18
call. The immediacy shows the will
21:20
being moved decisively by the call itself.
21:22
The call creates the compliance. OK, what's the second doctrinal
21:26
bearing? Christ's absolute lordship,
21:28
which is demonstrated by the required renunciation.
21:30
Leaving the Nets, the boat, the father.
21:32
Yes, the narrative forces us to confront what truly has first
21:36
claim on our lives. Jesus doesn't ask for a portion
21:39
of their time or resources. He demands total allegiance that
21:42
pushes aside all other primary loyalties, economic security,
21:46
family capital, even the deepest kinship bonds.
21:50
It shows that following Christ involves genuine self denial,
21:54
prioritizing Him above all earthly game.
21:56
His claim is total. Makes sense?
21:58
Third. The nature of living faith.
22:00
This isn't just mental agreement.
22:01
No, it's active. It's active adherence.
22:04
Faith moves. It results in changed behavior,
22:07
in letting go and following. These men didn't just say
22:10
interesting teacher, maybe we'll audit his class.
22:12
They acted. Their immediate action
22:13
demonstrates that true faith is a bond that reorients your
22:16
entire life and makes you move. OK, 4th doctrinal point.
22:20
Mission by by ordinary means the task is fishing for men.
22:23
While the call is supernatural and the equipping is divine, the
22:27
method implied is understandable public work.
22:30
Well, fishing involves casting a net, speaking, drawing in.
22:34
This points towards the means. Christ later institutes the
22:38
public preaching and teaching of the Word baptism, making
22:41
disciples the core elements of the Great Commission.
22:44
It emphasizes reliance on the revealed, authoritative Word of
22:48
God rather than, say, expecting constant new revelations or
22:52
focusing primarily on miraculous signs to do the work.
22:55
The mission proceeds through the ordained means of grace.
22:58
Grounded in the word and the fifth point.
23:01
Union and assurance following Christ is entering into union
23:04
with Him, and because discipleship rests on His
23:07
promise, I will make you, and not on their own strength or
23:10
consistency. Their perseverance and assurance
23:12
are grounded in His faithfulness.
23:14
Our confidence isn't in our ability to keep following, but
23:17
in His promise to keep making us.
23:19
Exactly. The guarantee I will make you
23:21
comes before the task is fully understood.
23:23
Assurance flows from trusting the one who called and who
23:26
guarantees the outcome. Think of his final words in
23:28
Matthew. I am with you always.
23:31
That's the bedrock. That reframing really is
23:33
crucial, isn't it? If the burden was on us us to
23:36
transform ourselves into fissures of men, we'd be sunk.
23:39
We'd be paralyzed or worse, we'd rely on our own flawed
23:42
techniques and strategies. But the command is simply follow
23:46
me. The equipping, the
23:48
transformation, the results, those belong to the king who
23:50
issued the call and the guarantee.
23:53
Our focus should be on obedience rooted in trust in His promise
23:57
#tag outro. So when we step back this short
24:00
story about four fishermen on the shore of Galilee, it really
24:03
does give us a clear, demanding blueprint for what it means to
24:06
follow Christ. It lays out the core elements.
24:09
We can maybe boil it down to three things.
24:11
First, discipleship means personal attachment, following
24:13
the person of Jesus himself. Got it.
24:15
Second. Second, it demands abandonment,
24:17
letting go of whatever rivals his claim, whether it's our
24:20
livelihood or security or closest relationships.
24:22
There's a cost. A real cost shown by that
24:25
escalating pattern. And 3rd. 3rd it's build him
24:28
confidence, not in ourselves but in his creative promise.
24:31
I will make you. The power comes from him.
24:34
Attachment, abandonment, and confidence in his provision.
24:37
That's a solid summary. And you know that King summons.
24:40
It wasn't just for Peter, Andrew, James and John back
24:42
then. It still echoes today, doesn't
24:44
it? It comes to us through
24:45
Scripture. It does, and this passage really
24:48
pushes us to examine our own lives.
24:50
It asks the hard question, what are the Nets, the boats, the
24:54
father figures in my life, what things may be good things in
24:58
themselves like career, family, comfort, reputation, are
25:02
actually holding first place, ranking higher than Christ's
25:05
claim. It's easy to try and soften
25:07
this, isn't it? To explain away the immediacy,
25:09
the totality of the call we want to negotiate.
25:12
We do. We want to say, OK, Jesus, I'll
25:13
follow you, but let me just finish this first or let me just
25:16
hang on to this one thing. But Matthew's stark narrative
25:19
that blunt youthis resist, that it suggests that genuine faith
25:23
responds decisively when the king calls Delay can often be a
25:27
form of disobedience in disguise.
25:29
So maybe the final thought to leave with everyone listening
25:31
comes back to that guarantee, that promise.
25:34
I will make you fishers of men. Yeah, I think that's right,
25:37
because the power to actually be what he calls us to be, to
25:40
participate in his mission of gathering people, rests entirely
25:43
in his vow. I will make.
25:44
It doesn't depend on us having the perfect strategy or the most
25:48
eloquent words or feeling adequate for the task.
25:51
So here's the question for you to think about this week, since
25:54
the effectiveness, the ability to become fishers of men, comes
25:59
entirely from Christ's promise. What fear, what hesitation, what
26:02
feeling of inadequacy is stopping you from casting the
26:04
net, from sharing the gospel, from living out your calling,
26:07
trusting that the results, the gathering, the making, that's
26:11
his work secured by his vow. The king who commands is the
26:15
king who equips. That's the confidence we have.
26:17
Outra music begins. Thanks for joining us on the
26:20
Deep Dive Outra Music fades.