Matthew 4:19

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. AND HE SAITH UNTO THEM, FOLLOW ME - rather, as the same expression is rendered in Mark, "Come ye after me" [ Deute (G1205) opisoo (G3694) mou (G3450)] - AND I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN - raising them from a lower to a higher fishing, as David was from a lower to a higher feeding (Psalms 78:70-19)....

18-22 When Christ began to preach, he began to gather disciples, who should be hearers, and afterwards preachers of his doctrine, who should be witnesses of his miracles, and afterwards testify concerning them. He went not to Herod's court, not to Jerusalem, among the chief priests and the elders, but to the sea of Galilee, among the fishermen. The same power which called Peter and Andrew, could have wrought upon Annas and Caiaphas, for with God nothing is impossible. But Christ chooses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. Diligence in an honest calling is pleasing to Christ, and it is no hinderance to a holy life. Idle people are more open to the temptations of Satan than to the calls of God. It is a happy and hopeful thing to see children careful of their parents, and dutiful. When Christ comes, it is good to be found doing. Am I in Christ? is a very needful question...

Verse Matthew 4:19. _FOLLOW ME_] _Come after me_, δευτε οπισω μου. Receive my doctrines, imitate me in my conduct - in every respect be my disciples. We may observe that most of the calls of God to man are expressed in a few solemn words, which alarm, the conscience, and deeply impress the heart. _I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN._] Ezekiel Ezekiel 47:8, casts much light on this place; and to this prophet our Lord probably alludes. To follow Christ, and be admitted into a partnership of his ministry, is a great honour; but those only who are by _himself_ fitted for it, God calls. Miserable are those who do not wait for this call - who presume to take the name of _fishers of men_, and know not how to cast the net of the Divine word, because not brought t

FISHERS OF MEN - Ministers or preachers of the gospel, whose business it shall be to win souls to Christ....

EXPOSITION MATTHEW 4:1 THE TEMPTATION. The Father's acceptance of the Lord's consecration of himself for the work of the kingdom does not exclude temptation, but rather necessitates it. Psychologically, the reaction from the ecstasy of joy in hearing the announcement of Matthew 3:17 was certain; ethically, such testing as would accompany the reaction was desirable. Even the Baptist was, as it seems, not without a special temptation during this period (cf. John 1:19; and Bishop Westcott's note). At the very commencement of his official life the Lord is led consciously to realize that he has entered on a path of complete trust (even as his brethren in the flesh

AND HE SAITH UNTO THEM, FOLLOW ME,.... These two brethren had been the disciples of John, as Theophylact thinks, and which seems agreeable to John 1:35 and though through John's pointing out Christ unto them, they had some knowledge of him, and conversation with him, yet they abode with him but for that day, John 1:37 and afterwards returned to their master; and upon his imprisonment, betook themselves to their former employment: from whence Christ now calls them to be his disciples, saying "follow me", or "come after me": that is, be a disciple of mine; see Luke 14:27. And to encourage them to it, makes use of this argument; "and", or "for", I "will make you fishers of men": you shall be fishers still, but in a higher sense; a

4:12. _Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;_ Notice that there were at that time only two great ministers of God, John the Baptist, he must go to prison and to death; Jesus, the Son of God, he must go to the desert to be tempted of the devil. If any Christians escape temptation, they will not be the leaders of the hosts of God. Those who stand in the van must bear the brunt of the battle. Oh, that all who are called to such responsible positions might be as prepared to occupy them as John was, and as Jesus was! Matthew 4:13. And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: that it might he fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Gali

4. THE TESTING OF THE KING AND HIS TESTIMONY. _ 1. The Testing by the Devil. (Matthew 4:1 .) 2. His Testimony and His Disciples. (Matthew 4:12 .) 3. The Powers of the Kingdom. (Matthew 4:23 .)_ CHAPTER 4 The first part of this chapter gives us the history of the temptation of the King. This is a most important topic, many-sided in its applications; large volumes have been written on it without exhausting it. We will therefore have to confine ourselves to the bringing out of some of the most important teachings, without attempting to go into many of the precious details and applications to the believer. The baptism marked, as we saw in the last chapter, our Lord's entrance upon

THE CALL OF THE FIRST DISCIPLES (Mark 1:16 *; contrast Luke 5:1 and John 1:35). _Cf._ p. 665. The account is almost identical with that in Mk., except that Mt. omits the mention of the hired servants left with Zebedee. He also transfers Mk.'s straightway from the call of Jesus to the response of the brothers....

FOLLOW ME, AND. WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN. The Lord had already called them to be his disciples, at Bethabara, after the temptation. He now calls them to. preparation for the apostleship. Fish in the waters are as sinners in the world. It is the preacher's art so to bait the hook of divine truth as that, with ready appetite, the sinner will receive it and be captured for salvation. Hence, there was. striking accordance, and perhaps even an intended typism, between the early engagements of these men and their subsequent profession as apostles--_ Whedon._...