201
See also: Jesus Embraces a Tax Collector 242–43 ■ Peter’s Denial 256–57 ■ The Great Commission 274–77Peter) and his brother Andrew
hauling in an empty net. Jesus
walks up to the men and exhorts
them to cast their net again. When
they draw the net in, it is brimming
with fish. “Follow me ... to fish
for people,” Jesus tells them (1:17).
Without hesitating, the men leave
their nets to go with Him to recruit
more disciples. Jesus then meets
two more fishermen—James and
John—in a boat with their father
Zebedee and some hired men. Like
Peter and Andrew, James and John
join Jesus as soon as He asks them.
The four fishermen become the first
of Jesus’s 12 disciples.Lowly profession
Just as it is symbolic that Jesus
chooses 12 disciples—to represent
the totality of the nation of Israel—
it is also telling that He selects four
fishermen and, ultimately, possibly
as many as six. Such an elevation
of this relatively lowly profession
indicates that knowledge of God
should not be confined to the
learned or priestly classes. As
stated in 1 Corinthians 1:27: “God
chose the foolish things of theworld to shame the wise; God chose
the weak things of the world to
shame the strong.” There may also
be some significance in the fact
that fishermen have to be patient
in their work; Jesus knew that to
change the world as He intended
would take great patience.Courting controversy
Jesus’s choice of His remaining
eight disciples is also significant.
First, He chooses a tax collector,THE GOSPELS
The Miraculous Draught of Fishes,
by Jean Jouvenet (1644–1717), depicts
Jesus recruiting Peter and Andrew,
and filling their previously empty
nets with fish.Disciples as learners
A “disciple” is someone who
adheres to the teachings of a
master or instructor. In the New
Testament, it is made clear on
numerous occasions that Jesus
is the ultimate master on earth.
It is upon Jesus that all authority
in heaven and on earth has
been bestowed (Matthew 28:18);
it is to Jesus that every knee
will bow (Philippians 2:10); it
is on account of Jesus that all
the tribes of the earth will
mourn (Revelation 1:7); and
from Jesus that the absolutefury of God’s wrath will be
executed (Revelation 19:15). It is
incumbent upon the 12 disciples
that they learn to live like Jesus,
and to teach others to behave
in the same way. Essentially,
they should learn to become
“little Christs,” or “Christians”
(Acts 26:28; 2 Corinthians 1:21).
The four Gospels demonstrate
what it means to be a disciple
of Jesus. In particular, John
classifies the role in three ways:
worshipper (or learner/follower),
servant, and witness.Levi, who also goes by the name
of Matthew, and is the reputed
author of the Gospel of that name.
Initially, this seems like an odd
choice. As the Bible repeatedly
demonstrates, tax collectors were
particularly unpopular at the time;
Jesus’s selection of Levi therefore
earns Him disdain from the
Pharisee teachers of the Law: “Why
does He eat with tax collectors
and sinners?” (Mark 2:16). Jesus
responds: “It is not the healthy who
need a doctor but those who are
sick. I have not come to call the
righteous, but sinners” (2:17).
Jesus next chooses the Zealot,
Simon. Again, the appointment is
symbolic. After their experiences
in Egypt and in the wake of the
ceaseless invasions of their nation,
the Jewish people had developed
an intense dislike of foreign rule.
No group is still more active in ❯❯US_200-203_Calling_of_Disciples.indd 201 25/09/17 11:20 am