^{“ Mark 1:16} Now as He walked by the sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. ¹⁷ And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. ¹⁸And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed Him.” (Mark 1:16-18)

INTRODUCTION

               For Mark, the “beginning of the Gospel” has thus far involved the preaching of John the Baptist (1:1-8), the baptism of Jesus (1:9-11), the temptation of Jesus (1:12-13), and the commencement of the preaching of Jesus (1:14-15). These are all essential elements of the Gospel. They are involved in the Word becoming “flesh” (John 1:14), or coming in “the likeness of sinful flesh” (Rom 8:3), or becoming “like unto His brethren” (Heb 2:17). This is the facet of Jesus life to which Paul referred when he said, “And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself” (Phil 2:8).

               There are several reasons for the life and ministry of Jesus prior to His betrayal and death. During this time, we were being exposed to God “manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim 3:16). The manner in which the mighty God thought and spoke was lived out before men. He spoke only what the Father told Him to say (John 12:49; 14:10). Men were exposed to the manner and objective of God’s works, for Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19). Now we will behold the kind of men God chooses, and what He does with such men. We will see an activity in which the Lord will involve His followers. We will also become familiar with the kind of human response that glorifies the Lord – the kind that is a prelude to extensive labors for the Lord. In this text, we will see God Almighty at work.

HE SAW SIMON AND ANDREW HIS BROTHER

               “ ^{Mark 1:16} Now as He walked by the sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.”

               THE BACKGROUND OF JOHN’S ACCOUNT. John provides some details about Simon and Andrew that are not found in the other Gospels. He tells us that following John’s announcement of Jesus as “the Lamb of God,” two disciples” who heard him speak “followed Jesus.” Jesus asked the two, “What seek ye?” They replied that they wanted to know where He was staying. Jesus said, “Come and see.” One of those two was Andrew, Simon’s brother. He first went to Simon and said, “We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.” He then “brought” Simon to Jesus, who renamed Simon “Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone” (John 1:40-42). I understand this occasion to have preceded the events of our text. Matthew’s account of our text refers to Simon as “Simon called Peter” (Matt 4:18).

               HE WALKED BY THE SEA. We understand that Jesus was walking along the shoreline toward Capernaum, where He would later enter into a synagogue on the Sabbath day and teach (Mk 1:21). As we become more familiar with the ministry of our Lord, we will find Him to be intensely active, always about His Father’s business.

               HE SAW SIMON AND ANDREW. These were brothers, and are apparently listed in order of their priority, with Peter being the oldest. Both were apparently followers of John the Baptist

               The background of Luke’s account. Matthew’s account is identical with Mark’s (Matt 4:18-22). Luke gives a few more details, providing the background of this text. Prior to this, Jesus had been preaching “in the synagogues of Galilee” (Lk 3:44). As time progressed, “the people pressed upon Him to hear the Word of God” (Lk 4:1a). They had never heard such marvelous words. When He opened the Scriptures to them, it whetted their appetites for more, and they were “crowding around Him and listening to the Word of God.” ^NIV Among other things, this confirms that John the Baptist had, indeed, prepared the way of the Lord (1:2-3). That preparation had awakened an appetite for God’s Word. That is what a good minister will do as he speaks insightfully and confidently about what God has said. There is a certain drawing power in the Word of God, as it evident in this text.

               As Jesus spoke the Word to the multitudes, He was standing “by the lake of Gennesaret” – another name for “the Sea of Galilee.” “Gennesaret” described the sea of Galilee according to its location, for “Gennesaret” was a “land” (Mk 6:53), in which the “Sea of Galilee” was found. As the people pressed to hear Him, He came close to the water. Luke informs us there were “two ships” there, and the fisherman were “washing their nets.” Jesus entered into one of the ships, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to “put out a little way from the land.” ^NASB Peter did this, and Jesus “sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.” When He had finished teaching, Jesus told Peter to “launch out into deep, and let down your nets for a draught,” or a “catch.” ^NKJV Jesus was going to pay Peter for the use of his boat. Peter responded that they had spent a fruitless night fishing, and had “taken nothing: nevertheless at Thy word, I will let down the net.” When Peter put the net into the water, it “enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.” Peter then called to his “partners, which were in the other ship,” asking them to give him some assistance. They quickly came “and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.”

               Having arrived at the shore, Peter “fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Luke adds, “For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken” (Luke 5:1-9). Mark takes the text from there.

               Now, in our text, as He made His way to Capernaum, Jesus “saw Simon and Andrew his brother.” As will be confirmed, this was not a casual glance, but one in which the Lord took due note of the men. Matthew says He “saw two brothers” (Matt 4:18).

               THEY WERE FISHERS. Simon and Andrew were working – they were in the process of “casting a net into the sea.” They were not leisurely fishing, but were making a living – engaged in their regular work, “for they were fishers.” The Lord is frequently depicted as calling busy men. Moses was keeping sheep (Ex 3:1-2). Gideon was threshing wheat (Judges 6:11). Elisha was plowing a field (1 Kgs 19:19-20). Amos was keeping a flock (Amos 7:14). Now Jesus sees two men, occupied with their business – fishing.

               However, Jesus did not see them as mere men, or even as fishermen, but saw their hearts, “for He knew what was in man” (John 2:25). He saw past their boat, past their nets, and past their occupation. His eyes, like those of His Father, were running “to and fro,” looking for a man “whose heart is perfect toward Him” (2 Chron 16:9).

CALLED TO A NEW VOCATION

               “ ¹⁷ And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.”

               JESUS SAID UNTO THEM. It at once becomes apparent that Jesus was not merely beholding two brothers. Nor, indeed, was He pondering them from a novel point of view. When the eyes of the Lord are fixed upon a person, something is about to take place – either a blessing (as in this text), or a cursing (as with Babel, and Sodom and Gomorrah).

               Until this time, Jesus had been preaching to the multitudes. He had been preaching throughout Galilee (Mk 1:14). However, so far as the record is concerned, He had not delivered a special word to any specific person. Now, however, that will change. What was once general, will now become specific. Simon and Andrew had heard the preaching of John. They had also been exposed to the public teaching of Jesus. Now He will have a word to say to them personally, and it will radically alter their lives.

               There must come a time when public preaching and teaching is personalized to the hearers – a time when they cease to be one of the crowd. For souls who are sensitive to the Lord, that time will involve their call into a love that is more concentrated on Jesus than on self.

               COME YE AFTER ME. Other versions read, “Follow Me,” ^NKJV/NASB “Come, follow Me,” ^NIV “Come after Me,” ^DARBY “Come, be My disciples,” ^NLT and “Come after Me, and be My disciples.” ^AMPLIFIED Matthew reads, “Follow Me” (Matt 4:19). The word “come” means “come hither, or follow.” ^STRONG’S It implies leaving where you are, and going to another place. In this text, that place is “after Me,” or in His footsteps – going precisely where Jesus was going. While this was not yet the calling of “the twelve” (recorded in Mark 3:13-19), the practical cause was the same: “that they should be with Him” (Mk 3:14).

               Later, Jesus spelled out what was involved in coming after Him, or following Him. “And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Matthew reads, “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me” (Mat 10:38). Again He said, “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:27).

               The qualifications for following Jesus are straightforward. (1) Deny self – assuming, at the very best, a secondary role. Self-interests are put to the side in favor of embracing Jesus and His cause. (2) Take up your cross – presuming the total repudiation of the flesh. This is to be done on a “daily” basis, putting to death “the deeds of the body” (Rom 8:13). (3) Bear your cross – the ongoing work of subordinating the flesh, keeping under the body, and casting down competing influences.

               All of this assumes that Jesus is walking in a different direction, and doing a different work. To follow Him, there must be an abandonment of competing pursuits. Coming after Jesus, or walking in His footsteps, increases the distance between the individual and this present evil world. Paul expressed this kind of activity when he admonished the Corinthians, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). Again, this type of life is depicted in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians: “Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not Himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on Me” (Rom 15:2-3).

               I WILL MAKE YOU TO BECOME FISHERS OF MEN. Other versions read, “make you fish for people,” ^NRSV and “fishermen for the souls of people.” ^LIVING Luke writes, “from henceforth thou shalt catch men” (Lk 5:10). This new kind of fishing would require the work of transformation. Just as professional fishermen seek ways to catch the fish, so Jesus would teach them to be proficient in the work of catching men.

               Luke associates these words with the miraculous catch of fish “that filled both boats,” so that they “began to sink” (Lk 5:7). Luke also says Jesus said these words “unto Simon.” Mark says He said it to them all. Both sayings are true – Simon in particular, because it was his boat: all of them in general, because they assisted in bringing the catch to shore.

               Peter surely must have thought of these words on the day of Pentecost. Then, as he made a single casting of the Gospel net, he “caught” three thousand souls (Acts 2:41). Later, Peter cast the net again in the Temple, bringing in a catch of “about five thousand” men (Acts 4:4). Throughout their lives, these men became known for their influence on others. They truly were made “fishers of men.”

               Jesus did not make them “fishers of men” by teaching a soul-winning course. He rather provided them with a keen sense of man’s need of salvation, and the effective remedy for that need through the Gospel. He brought them to a point where they had a genuine and lasting interest in the eternal welfare of men.

AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE

               “ ¹⁵ And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed Him.” Other versions read, “They immediately left their nets,” ^NKJV “At once they left their nets,” ^NIV and “They abandoned their nets.” ^NAB.

               STRAIGHTWAY. “Straightway,” or “immediately,” is the mode of the Kingdom. A leper whom Jesus touched was healed “immediately” (Matt 8:3). When Jesus had compassion on two blind men, and touched them, “immediately their eyes received sight” (Matt 20:34). When He told a palsied man to “Arise and take up thy bed,” “immediately he arose,” and “took of his bed” (Mk 2:12). When the woman with an issue of blood touched the hem of Christ’s garment, “straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up” (Mk 5:29). When Jesus said to Jairus’ dead daughter, “Arise,” “straightway the damsel arose” (Mk 5:42). When Jesus said to a deaf and dumb man, “Be opened,” “straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed” (Mk 7:35). The same immediate response took place when Peter healed a lame man (Acts 3:7), when Saul of Tarsus was healed by Ananias (Acts 9:18), when Peter healed Aeneas (Acts 9:34), and when the Apostle John was told by a voice from heaven “Come up hither” (Rev 4:2). Also, conversions like those on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41), the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:27-39), Cornelius (Acts 10:34-48), Lydia (Acts 16:14-15), and the Philippian jailor (Acts 16:30-34) were all immediate.

               So it was that Simon and Andrew suddenly forgot about their fishing trade. Jesus had captured their attention, and their hearts went hard after Him. An immediate response is the opposite of being “slow of heart to believe” (Lk 24:25), “dull of hearing” (Heb 5:11), and having a heart that has “waxed gross” (Acts 28:27).

               I have noted over the years that a close proximity to Jesus promotes instant responses to His call. Equally true, when there is a distance between the individual and Christ, there is a retarded response (if any at all) to His summons. It is not without cause that it is written, “They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs” ^NKJV (Psa 65:8). There is a sense in which the Lord still speaks in “a still small voice,” as He did to Elijah. Prior to that. The Lord “passed by” the mountain to which He had called Elijah. It is written that there was “a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire” (1 Kgs 19:12). After that came “the still small voice” – a “gentle whisper” ^NIV – and “Elijah heard it.” That kind of sensitivity allows for instant responses to the Lord. Oh, that there was more of this in our time.

               FORSOOK THEIR NETS. Other versions read, “left their nets,” ^NKJV and “yielding up their claim to them.” ^AMPLIFIED Luke records, “And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all” (Luke 5:11). They left their nets, their boat, and their trade. How is it that they were able to make this sacrifice? Through John the Baptist, their hearts had been “prepared,” and the way was made “straight” for an instant response to the Lord. They recalled the great catch of fish they had realized, and correlated that event with a Man who had all authority and power, to say nothing of grace ands truth. Their confrontation of the Lord’s Christ had dwarfed everything else. For them, their nets were like all the kingdoms of the world were to Christ when He was tempted of the devil (Matt 4:8).

               The spiritual condition of a people or era can be judged by what is abandoned for the Lord. In the hearts of Simon and Andrew, catching men was perceived as more to be desired than catching fish. Where little is sacrificed, little, if any at all, has been seen.

               FOLLOWED HIM. Forsaking nets is of no consequence unless it is followed by an eager pursuit of Christ. There are two extremes that are promoted by the devil, and, as we ought to expect, neither one is acceptable. First, men are tempted to keep their nets, so to speak, and attempt to follow Jesus. Second, they are tempted to stay with their nets and not follow Jesus. Jesus had made clear that He cannot be followed unless everything is forsaken (Lk 14:33). It is not that this is a sort of goal that we strive to reach. Rather, from the very beginning, this is the way it is.

               Following Christ is an aggressive assignment. He is always involved in the work of His Father, ruling “in the midst of” His “enemies” (Psa 110:2). The “highway” upon which He leads us forbids the presence of anything “unclean” (Isa 35:8). As soon as a person senses the call to follow Christ, an immediate response is needed. The choice must be made for the duration of the journey. This involves the repudiation of every competing influence and the resolve to participate in “the power of His resurrection” and the “fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil 3:10). Such responses are not the exception, but the rule of the kingdom.