Matthew 4:18-19 (ESV) - While walking by the
Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and
Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
(READ MATTHEW 4)
Nicolas Herman was a dishwasher for decades in the kitchen of a
Carmelite monastery in 1600s Paris. In spite of this seemingly lowly
state in life, Nicolas— or Brother Lawrence as he was better known—was
sought after for his great wisdom. After his death, his personal
journals became a devotional classic: The Practice of the Presence of God.
In it he writes:
The time of business does not with me differ from the time of
prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several
persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God
in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees.
Lawrence had a deep sense that his life, including its toil and
drudgery, was seen by God and was therefore imbued with a deep
significance.
Matthew records an account of Jesus calling Simon and Andrew.
Most likely, this is not their first encounter with Jesus, as he called
them earlier on in his ministry (John 1:40). But as these two men are
back at their job, fishing, two simple but significant actions of Jesus
stand out. Jesus saw them, and he called them to follow him as they were
about their work, casting nets. Simon and Andrew’s trade, which
required talent and savvy, was important to the local economy. While
they were casting their nets, Jesus saw them and called them. They were
not at a conference, nor on a mountaintop, they were simply trying to
earn a daily living.
God sees our lives and he calls us to follow him amidst our
daily work, toil, and circumstances. In the case of Simon and Andrew, it
meant leaving their nets as they began the slow process of reimagining
and learning what it would mean to become “fishers of men.” For Brother
Lawrence it meant learning to practice the presence of God as he washed
dishes every day for decades. Our lives are not unnoticed. God sees us
and calls us to follow amidst the realities of daily life.
PONDER: If indeed God sees you and calls you today—right where you are—how will that affect how you live today?
REFLECTION or DISCUSSION
In this passage, Jesus called some of his first disciples.
Jesus called out to Simon and Andrew while they were working, and they
decided to follow him. We see the same thing happen as Jesus called
James and John. This is a picture of how God asks us to respond to his
call for us to follow him.
Read Matthew 4:18-22 again. How did Simon, Andrew, James,
and John respond to Jesus? Do you think it was easy for these men to
give up everything to follow Jesus? What might it mean for you to follow
God?
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