THE CALLING OF DISCIPLESHIP

1.  Calling Fishermen to Follow (Matthew 4:18-22) 

     A. Simon and Andrew (Matthew 4:18-20) 

     B. James and John (Matthew 4:21-22) 

2.  Calling Sinners to Repent (Matthew 9:9-13) 

     A. Matthew’s Call (Matthew 9:9) 

     B. Jesus’ Purpose (Matthew 9:10-13) 

3.  Granting Authority to Disciples (Mark 3:7-19) 

     A. Ministry to a Multitude (Mark 3:7-12) 

     B. Appointment of Twelve (Mark 3:13-19) 

Central Truth: Jesus calls all people to become His disciples. 

Focus:  Examine Jesus’ call to discipleship and follow Him as disciples. 

Evangelism Emphasis:  Jesus calls His disciples to make disciples. 

Text:  “He [Jesus] saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). 

INTRODUCTION 

There is often a tendency to gloss over historical figures, looking at them from the benefit of hindsight, knowing what they ultimately did—good or bad—and allow those things to define our understanding of them. But when we do this, we tend to overlook their humanness. It is helpful to try to understand the circumstances of their lives, their motivations, their families, and the influence of the prevailing culture. When we make that effort, we often have a greater appreciation for who they really were; and that results in a greater awareness of how their circumstances and actions can inform our own. 

This is true of those first followers of Jesus. It is easy to sanctify them in our minds (or in the case of Judas, to vilify them). However, when we stop to reflect on the circumstances of their lives when Jesus called them as well as the nature of their responses to that call, we catch a glimpse of who they really were. They were ordinary people in ordinary circumstances who met an extraordinary Savior. They didn’t know for sure who He was at the beginning. That only started to become clear toward the end of His time on earth with them. But they were willing to follow Him regardless. 

1. CALLING FISHERMEN TO FOLLOW 

A. Simon and Andrew (Matthew 4:18-20) 

18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 

Fishermen were an important part of the Galilean economy and, as such, would have made a good living by the standards of their time. They were not merely fishing on the bank of the water; they were businessmen engaged in their livelihood when Jesus called them. Consider the possibility of the timing of the call to Simon and Andrew in light of what is recorded in John 1:35-51. Based on this passage, it seems possible that Simon and Andrew, along with Philip and Nathanael, had set out to follow Jesus at an earlier date. If so, they eventually returned to their normal work of fishing. If that is the case, this would indicate they experienced a deepening understanding over time as to what discipleship would require of them. We see something similar when the disciples returned to fishing after Jesus’ resurrection in John 21. 

We need not lose sight of the humanness of Jesus’ disciples. They were ordinary men, no different than any of us today. What Jesus was asking of them was not a small thing, but a total change in how they lived. They would be walking away from their livelihood and all they had known in order to follow Jesus. We have the benefit of hindsight, but they had no idea what was ahead of them. Regardless of whatever decision-making process they had to undergo, ultimately they responded to an extraordinary calling to follow Jesus. In this case, Jesus tied their calling to their vocation by using the term “fishers of men.” They were not just going to support Jesus’ ministry; they were to become students of the Master, ultimately called to gather men and women to become His followers as well.

• How is fishing like evangelism? How is it different?  

B. James and John (Matthew 4:21-22) 

21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. 22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. 

In similar fashion to the call of Simon and Andrew, Jesus came upon James and John, two brothers who were working with their father, Zebedee, in the family fishing business. When Jesus encountered them, they were mending their nets after a night of fishing. He called to them, inviting them to follow Him. Just as he did with Simon and Andrew, Matthew stresses the immediacy of their response. At once, James and John left the boat and their father, and followed Jesus. 

Not only did James and John leave behind a lucrative fishing operation to follow Jesus, they left behind the family business. Such an act could have easily led to them being dishonored in the community. An honorable son would never abandon his father and the business he had worked hard to develop in preparation for them to take it over! Such behavior is meant for us to understand the radical commitment these men were making to follow Jesus. The two brothers left everything behind, even risking their reputation in the community, to follow Him. Even more amazingly, they had no idea where that would lead! Simon, Andrew, and James had no idea that they would eventually become martyrs. (Tradition suggests John was not martyred.) Nor did they have any idea of the impact their lives would have in the spread of the Gospel in the world in the days to come. All they knew is Jesus had called out to them to follow Him, and follow Him they did! 

It is the same today as men and women of all walks of life choose to surrender all and follow Jesus. Some choose to follow Jesus instead of pursuing a potentially lucrative career in some field or another. Some choose the path of honesty, integrity, and compassion and, in doing so, sacrifice a life of comfort and ease because Jesus calls them to follow Him. 

Why would these men, and so many others like them, choose to follow Jesus in this way? The only answer that makes sense is there was something about Jesus himself—His presence and His personality. That same presence is still moving among us today by the Holy Spirit. We experience it as we read about Him in the Gospel accounts of His life and ministry. And we experience it as His call to follow Him breaks through—sometimes suddenly, sometimes slowly until it cannot be ignored any longer (N.T. Wright, Matthew for Everyone). In an age when it seems like so much effort is given to draw people to Christ through various means such as entertainment, special activities, and self-help strategies, it is worthwhile to remember what drew these first disciples. We don’t need Jesus and something else; we just need to encounter Jesus. And, like the first disciples, we have no idea where that call will take us. All we know is Jesus is calling us, so we need to respond. 

Risking Everything 

Being a Christian requires betting your life on the truth of the Gospel and committing yourself with all the risks involved. It requires the abandonment of the securities that this world has to offer, and that you launch out into unknown waters where the threats are great.—Tony Campolo 

2. CALLING SINNERS TO REPENT 

A. Matthew’s Call (Matthew 9:9) 

9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. 

Jesus did not just seek out one type of person to follow Him. His band of disciples had different backgrounds, some of which were not as honorable. This is clearly in view in Matthew’s call recorded here. 

To understand the significance of Matthew’s calling, we must understand the way tax collectors were viewed among the Jews during this time period. They were despised for several reasons.  First, the taxation scheme they participated in was seen as largely corrupt, thus Jews who collected those taxes were seen as traitors for collecting them from fellow Jews on behalf of the pagan Roman government. Second, they were considered potentially unclean due to possible contamination from the Gentiles with whom they associated. Taken together, these issues resulted in tax collectors in Jesus’ day being associated with harlots and other public sinners. Thus, it may have been shocking to realize Jesus would approach such a person and call him to become one of His disciples. 

It seems Matthew was humbled by this experience because, in this verse, he says when Jesus called to him, he simply “got up and followed Him” (NASB). Luke’s account of Matthew’s calling is more generous when he reports Matthew (Luke refers to him as Levi) “left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him” (Luke 5:27-28 NASB). Although Matthew was despised, he had a lucrative job, even more than the fishermen, which he surrendered in order to follow Jesus’ call. 

It should encourage us all that Jesus would choose someone so unlikely as Matthew to entrust with carrying the Gospel. That fact sends a powerful message about God’s capacity for love, forgiveness, and restoration. Considering that Matthew must have been fluent in the Aramaic and Greek languages and had a demonstrated capacity for record-keeping, should it surprise us that he would be chosen for the task of writing this Gospel? 

Not Just the Best Ones 

Jesus didn’t care what people thought of Him or His ragtag group of rookie preachers. Jesus somehow knew that fishermen might make the best fishers of men, and a former tax collector would make it very clear that no one lives outside of the parameters of the grace of God. It was somehow commonsense to Jesus that normal people would be more apt to reach normal people. Jesus was illustrating to us that the Kingdom was for everyone, not just the best ones.—Johnnie Moore, Dirty God 

B. Jesus’ Purpose (Matthew 9:10-13) 

10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 

Because of the reputation of tax collectors in Jesus’ day, it would have been unthinkable to sit down to eat with them. But that is exactly what Jesus did, thus triggering a response from the Pharisees. Table fellowship was an indication of close relationships among those sharing it. Because the Pharisees were so scrupulous about their special rules for eating, they were particularly mindful of who they ate with, especially “tax collectors and sinners” (v. 10 NKJV). They could not understand why Jesus, a wise teacher, would not share their convictions (Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary). 

Jesus’ response to the Pharisees’ question was curt—“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (v. 12 NKJV). The phrase “go and learn what this means” (v. 13 NKJV) was a rabbinic formula used to instruct those who needed to study the Scripture text further. How ironic that Jesus would say this to Pharisees who prided themselves on their mastery of and conformity to Scripture! The passage Jesus referred them to is found in Hosea 6:6, where the prophet equated “mercy” with covenant love, which is greater than “sacrifice.” Hosea’s hearers were practicing formal religious rituals, but their worship had lost its center of meaning. The Pharisees in Jesus’ day were doing the same thing. They had been attentive to all the outward matters of ceremonial purity, but their efforts were missing the point. Their religious experience was a shell with no heart, and that was being revealed in their attitude toward tax collectors and sinners. 

In light of this, Jesus’ final words in Matthew 9:13 make more sense to us. He was not saying the Pharisees were righteous and thus did not need Him. In fact, righteousness required to “enter into the kingdom of heaven” would have to “exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees” (5:20). The only way that could be possible was for righteousness to go deeper than Pharisaic righteousness. 

Instead of the emphasis being given to external ritual, God wants our heart. His priority is holy love as we see in Jesus’ Great Commandment (22:36-40). But such a priority does not mean our external behaviors have no significance. Instead, right behavior should flow from a mind filled with the knowledge of God and a heart filled with God’s holy love. Much like the Pharisees, there are people today who have put their faith in their ability to live up to certain standards, at least as they understand them. Such self-righteous people will not receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus has come for those who realize their need for Him and will respond to His call to repent and follow Him. 

• Describe the guest list for this dinner party. Why did Matthew hold this event? How should we follow Matthew’s example?  

3. GRANTING AUTHORITY TO DISCIPLES 

A. Ministry to a Multitude (Mark 3:7-12) 

7 But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea, 8 And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. 9 And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. 10 For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues. 11 And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God. 12 And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known. 

Jesus withdrew “with his disciples” and they were followed by a “great multitude” (v. 7). Perhaps Mark distinguishes between these two groups because of why they were there. It was one thing to be a disciple of Jesus, but why was the crowd there? They had heard Jesus was able to heal all sorts of diseases. Imagine how exciting it would be to hear of someone with such abilities when the medicine of the day was very limited in its ability to help anyone at all! 

In spite of why the crowds came, Jesus placed priority on His proclamation of the good news of the kingdom of God. That is what He had come to do (Mark 1:38). The miracles He did were meant to confirm what He was saying. The kingdom of God was at hand! 

On this occasion, the response to Jesus’ ministry was so great that the press of the crowds threatened to crush Him (3:9). They believed all they had to do was touch the Healer, so they pushed in for their opportunity for healing (v. 10). It became necessary for His disciples to have a boat ready for Him to get into in case it became too much for Him. 

In verse 11, we see the response of unclean spirits to what Jesus was doing. They realized who Jesus was, even if the crowd didn’t. The people “pressed about Him,” but the evil spirits “fell down before Him” and cried out, “You are the Son of God” (vv. 10-11 NKJV). The evil spirits recognized they were in the presence of One greater than themselves. But, rather than being an act of worship on their part, this was actually an attempt to stop Jesus’ mission from being fulfilled. Probably no one at this point imagined Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. It is possible His disciples had begun to guess it. But, in calling Him the Son of God, these evil spirits were making that known. The result of such a rumor getting out would have caused a great deal of problem with Herod Antipas, so Jesus silenced the evil spirits (v. 12). This is what Biblical scholars have referred to as the “Messianic secret.” Only at Jesus’ trial would He no longer try to hide the reality of who He was, and the secret would be open for everyone to see (Alan Cole, Mark). 

• How did Jesus express His authority over sickness (v. 10) and over evil spirits (v. 12)?  

B. Appointment of Twelve (Mark 3:13-19) 

13 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. 14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils: 16 And Simon he surnamed Peter; 17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder: 18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite, 19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house. 

From this point on in his Gospel, when Mark refers to the “disciples,” he is almost always referring to the twelve men listed here. Mark notes that Jesus called the disciples to Himself, rather than the other way around. Typically, disciples in Jesus’ day would seek out a teacher, but here Jesus is taking the initiative (Walter W. Wessel and Mark L. Strauss, Matthew & Mark). 

The significance of Jesus calling twelve disciples might be lost on the modern reader, but it would not have been lost to these Jewish men and the early Jewish Christians who came after them. The nation of Israel was founded on twelve tribes. So, when Jesus “appointed twelve” of His followers “that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach” (v. 14 NASB), He was sending a clear signal. This mission was not just about healing people or even about general spiritual awakening. Jesus was starting something new that would be the fulfillment of all the Jewish expectations and longing. But His kingdom wasn’t going to be established in the way they expected. One of the Twelve was even a traitor, but God would end up using that fact to accomplish His purposes in the end. 

Another point of interest concerning the call of these disciples is found in the diversity of the group. In addition to the successful fishermen and the hated tax collector discussed earlier in the lesson, there is “Simon the Zealot” (v. 18 NASB). The term zealot likely means this man was associated with a group bent on the violent overthrow of the Roman oppressors. One can only imagine the challenge of navigating the relationship of Simon the Zealot with Matthew, who had collected taxes for Rome! Then there is Judas Iscariot, who would ultimately betray Jesus to the authorities, resulting in Jesus’ arrest and execution. What an unlikely group to start out with! But these are the ones Jesus called and sent out with His authority to preach, to heal sicknesses, and to cast out demons (vv. 14-15). The rest is history. 

Inclusive Invitation 

For some people, the school playground holds fond memories of games like kickball and basketball. However, for others the memories are painful as they recall being the last one picked for a team, only being selected then because no one else was left! Thankfully, that is not the experience of anyone who encounters Jesus Christ. The invitation to follow Him is given to us, no matter our experiences on a school playground or anywhere else. 

CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP 

Jesus’ call to discipleship is not limited to a particular type of person. This study has shown His tendency to call those who are seemingly the most unlikely to follow Him. And when they responded faithfully, they were given the opportunity to participate in a mission that would change the world. In light of this truth, it is important that we do not prejudge those who desire to follow Jesus. No matter a person’s past, whether they are successful in the eyes of the world, or they are lumped together with the worst of society, Jesus invites “whosoever will” to follow Him. 

Daily Devotions  

M. Adam’s Calling and Responsibilities (Genesis 2:8-17) 

T. The Call of Abram (Abraham) (Genesis 12:1-5) 

W. The Call of Moses (Exodus 3:1-10) 

T. The Call of Joshua (Deuteronomy 31:14-15, 23; 34:9) 

F. The Call of Saul (Paul) (Acts 9:1-6, 10-18) 

S. Timothy’s Confidence in His Calling (2 Timothy 1:3-8) 

Adopted from the Evangelical Sunday School Lesson Commentary 2021-2022.