Come, Follow Me

Matthew 4:18-25
Key verse 4:19

1. Read verse 18.  What does this verse tell us about Simon and Andrew?

*They were ordinary men. As fishermen, they were not well-educated (acts 4:13), but they were hard-working.

2. Read verse 19.  What did Jesus mean by saying, "Come, follow me..."? What did he mean when he said, "...and I will make you fishers of men"?  Why might this have been an attractive promise to them?

*"Come, follow me..." is Jesus' invitation for them to become his disciples. It meant a totally new and different life. This was a radical offer. At the same time, it was a blessed offer. If they accepted, they could have personal fellowship with God through Jesus and they could grow up as spiritual leaders.

*"...and I will make you fishers of men." It meant that Jesus would give them a new job--to fish men into the kingdom of God. This shows the purpose for which Jesus calls people--he calls them to be fishers of men. Jesus himself was there as a fisher of men. He fished them.

*Now they were fishers of fish; but Jesus offered them a much more meaningful life. Instead of just working hard for their physical survival, they could work hard to fish men out of this world and bring them to the kingdom of God.

3. Read verse 20. How did they respond to Jesus' calling? Why do you think they did this?

*At once they left their nets and followed him. They did not hesitate. They made the biggest decision of their lives, leaving behind their lives as fishermen and beginning new lives as fully-committed disciples of Jesus.

*Their desire was to know God and serve God. Until this moment, however, they were stuck in the life of fishing fish. But God had been preparing their hearts through the ministry of John the Baptist. Now, when they got the opportunity, they understood that this was their only chance--and they didn't want to miss it.

Their decisiveness is reminiscent of Jesus' resolution to take up his cross. Luke 9:51 reads, "As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem."

4. Read verse 21. How was the situation of James and John different from that of Simon and Andrew?  How might this have made it difficult for them to follow Jesus?

*James and John were working together with their father.

*For them, it, was even more difficult to follow Jesus because it would mean literally leaving their father behind. What would their father do without them? How would he be able to catch enough fish to support himself and his wife without his two strong sons helping him?


5. Read verse 22. How did they respond to Jesus' calling? What does this teach us about living as a disciple of Jesus?

*They also left their boat, and their father, immediately, and they followed Jesus.

*These men were not well-educated, but they were able to see one thing clearly: the opportunity to live as a disciple of Jesus is not something to miss. They understood that to live as fishers of men was far better that living as fishers of fish. Living as a disciple of Jesus is the best life--but the only way to live that life is to leave behind the old with a clear decision of faith.

There is cost involved in following Jesus. People will fail if they want to follow Jesus without cost. Jesus' cross teaches us that even the Son of God paid the proper cost to save men.

6. Read verses 23-25. What activities did Jesus engage in throughout Galilee? What were the results of this ministry? What do these things reveal about Jesus?

*Three things: teaching, preaching, and healing. Jesus' ministry was to bring complete healing--physical and spiritual.

*News about him spread all over the place, and large crowds began following him. We can see why it was necessary for him to get disciples--so they could help him take care of all these people.

Jesus' salvation work comes with labor to preach and heal. 

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