MATTHEW leads us on in the ministry of Jesus. All the actions of Jesus were a continuation of his saving work. He came to redeem sinners, and free them from the darkness of the devil’s kingdom. He came to open the kingdom of heaven to all believers. He came to do the saving will of God. So in this action of calling the first disciples, who later became apostles, we see him continuing his saving work.

The action that stands out in these few verses is the action of Jesus in calling these disciples. Let us look at this action first of all, and see what we learn. Jesus was walking along the shore of Galilee. He sees Peter and Andrew engaged in their normal daily employment. Jesus speaks to them. His words are “Come, follow me, and I will make your fishers of men.” The extraordinary thing is the response Jesus receives from these words. We are told in verse 20 that both Peter and Andrew at once, left what they were doing, and followed Jesus. There is no way that this could happen in normal human affairs. When Jesus called James and John the same response occurred, and here we are told that they left their father, Zebedee, to follow Jesus.

No one in normal circumstances follows a complete stranger without question and enquiry. We would expect, at the very least, that such a call would require some thought before an answer is given, yet the response here was immediate. What we see here is the divine and effective call of Jesus. Here is Jesus as the divine Saviour doing his saving work. There are two ingredients in this call we see here.

The first part of the call was to follow Jesus. This is the call to salvation. Then there was the call to service which was to be active with Jesus in bringing this saving call to others. Before we can be used by Jesus in being his servants in proclaiming his saving power and grace, we must have been called by him into his kingdom. Then and only then can we receive the call to be fishers of men. We see here also that the call of Jesus into the kingdom of heaven and into salvation from sin and death is the only way that we can be saved.

These men had no thought of their need of being saved. They had no other thought than the things of this world. What changed all this was a gracious saving call of Jesus, which was accompanied by divine grace and power which made the call irresistible, and this is why they responded. This revelation is so offensive to our human pride. We like to think we have a hand in salvation. It offends our pride when we are told that our freewill is bound in darkness of Satan’s kingdom, and because of this we are in prison to Satan’s darkness, and totally blind and helpless. But this is the case. There is no way that any human being can be saved from sin and death unless God works an action of sovereign grace. Only Jesus can overcome the strong man armed. Jesus is the one who is stronger than the devil. He must save and he alone. This call was an action of wondrous grace and love. How grateful we should be if we have been so called, and so have been enabled to trust Jesus and follow him as our Lord and Saviour. It is the gift of trust. Satan sows the seeds of doubt towards God and his Christ in all. This is why the normal response of human beings is to reject Jesus. How great is the love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called the children of God, says John in his first letter. And this is the truth. It is an astounding action of grace and love that we are saved, and adopted into the family of God. Let us always be mindful of this love so that in our hearts and minds is constant praise of Jesus and our heavenly Father.

The call to salvation is not simply a trust for salvation, it is also a crowning of Jesus as Lord and King. No trust in Jesus is saving unless this is true. When Adam sinned and plunged this world into darkness, he made a choice to believe Satan rather than God, and so he gave his allegiance to Satan, who from that moment became the god of this world in the sense that he ruled over all humanity. From that moment the promise was that Christ, the seed of the woman, would bruise the serpent’s, Satan’s, head. So we see that the call of Jesus is a call that we become his subjects, and receive back all that Adam lost. Adam before he sinned acknowledged God as God and King, and this meant he obeyed God, and this relationship with God was expressed in obedience. Saving faith given by the grace of God is to be the people of God, the children of God, and to bow to his gracious will in all things.

Lastly we come to the call to be fishers of men. For these men, who became Apostles, this was a call to be the ones through whom God would first bring the message of salvation to this dark world. To these Jesus gave the revelation of the New Testament Scriptures, that is our revelation now. Their calling was unique. However it is true that all who are called to follow Jesus in salvation, are also called in a lesser degree to be fishers of men. It is the way and will of God that his redeemed people are the instruments by which he brings his salvation to others. It is by the witness of his people that is the usual means Christ exercises his effectual call to salvation.

This is amazing that Jesus entrusts his saving work to us frail and weak and sinful people, but he does. But what a privilege this is to be used by God to further his work of bringing blessing to others. Our service and witness may be of a very humble and simple nature. It may be only a life that shines with the love of Jesus, but it is still our work to be fishers of men, and still is a wonderful privilege.