Terrain Day 12 Sea Of Galilee: Digging Deeper
Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
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The Questions
1) Why was Jesus “walking by the Sea of Galilee” instead of teaching somewhere? Was He intentionally looking for these men or did He just happen upon them? (verse 18)
2) What does it mean to fish for people? (verse 19)
3) Scripture says “immediately, they left their nets and followed”. What is the significance of the word “immediately”? (verses 20-22)
Matthew 4:17-22
From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near.” As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, preparing their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Original Intent
1) Why was Jesus “walking by the Sea of Galilee” instead of teaching somewhere? Was He intentionally looking for these men or did He just happen upon them? (verse 18)
Before tackling that question, let’s consider why Jesus was even in Galilee. Backing up a few verses, Matthew tells us “Jesus left Nazareth and went to live by the sea” after John the Baptist was arrested. (Matthew 4:12-16) Jesus didn’t leave Nazareth out of fear, but to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy, “the people living in darkness in Galilee would see a great light” (Isaiah 9:1-2). This great light was Jesus! Yesterday’s Journey Study of Galilee pointed out how walking and boats were the main methods of transportation in the ancient world. While we don’t know specifically why Jesus was out walking that day, we do know He preferred to go to the people and teach instead of waiting for people to come to Him. Even though Scripture doesn’t clearly say “Jesus set out to find some men to help Him with His ministry”, we can surely know Jesus had a divine plan. (Ephesians 1:2) Luke’s account of this narrative contains more details by describing the crowds as “pressing in around” Jesus. (Luke 5:1) Pressed by masses, Jesus commandeers Peter’s boat and effectively moves away from the shore to teach the people. This passage also shares a conversation between Jesus and Peter about catching fish. Peter and his friends had been fishing all night with no luck when Jesus says, “let’s go out and try again,” to which Peter says, “Dude, it’s not going to work, we’ve tried all night.” (my paraphrase of Luke 5:5) Turns out, Jesus was right. They caught so many fish, Peter frantically called for help from his friends, James and John. We don’t know if Jesus intended to call His first disciples that day, but we know He taught and lived with divine purpose. In a fishing community like Galilee, Jesus knew there would be more people by the shore, so He came to them.
2) What does it mean to fish for people? (verse 19)
Jesus was an expert at using terminology and examples rich with meaning for His original audience. (Matthew 13:1-52) Jesus’ fishing analogy paired perfectly into the job these men already were keenly familiar with as fishermen. They readily understood how fishing as a trade required intense physical labor, long hours, and, at times, no fish to show for a tedious night of work. (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) When Jesus said, “from now on you will fish for people”, these fishermen, along with anyone else who heard the conversation along the shoreline, understood Jesus’ meaning at a basic level. In essence, Christ was making a clear statement like, “I’ve got a new job for you. In many ways, it will be the same as being a fisherman. But instead of spending your nights on a boat, you’ll come with Me to neighboring towns looking for people who will listen to the Good News of the Messiah.”
3) Scripture says “immediately, they left their nets and followed”. What is the significance of the word “immediately”? (verses 20-22)
Looking at Luke’s more detailed account in Luke 5:1-11, we can answer this question. After hauling in their massive load of fish, Luke 5:8 records, “When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord!”. Peter immediately knew Jesus was no ordinary man, Jesus held divine authority unlike anyone else. For successful fishermen like Peter, Andrew, James, and John to immediately leave everything to follow Jesus would have been highly significant, especially considering the enormous income they had amassed in minutes with their many fish. According to the Holman Bible Dictionary, in biblical times “… occupations were centered in the family enterprise.” (studylight.org) If your dad was a fisherman, you were trained as a fisherman and expected to work alongside your father until you took over the “family business”. Additionally, the cultural norm was for young men to receive an “inheritance from their father”, as a right of passage. Not to mention, another cultural expectation was to care for aging parents. By leaving “immediately”, these men intentionally pressed against the norm. Many onlookers would have disagreed with their actions. In Matthew 8:20-22, we read of another would-be disciple who asks, “first let me go bury my father,” to which Jesus replies, “follow Me and let the dead bury their own dead”. It’s important to understand this man’s father was not dead. What he’s really asking is, “once I do my duty as an earthly son, can I come and follow you?”. Jesus’ answer may seem harsh, but in reality, He is saying, “you have a choice today. Are you willing to live differently now and follow Me, or will you go along with the crowd and do what is expected?”
Everyday Application
1) Why was Jesus “walking by the Sea of Galilee” instead of teaching somewhere? Was He intentionally looking for these men or did He just happen upon them? (verse 18)
We are called to follow Jesus and His example of living lives of intentional love. Yes, we are called to be teachers in our churches, homes, and schools, but we cannot expect everyone who needs Jesus to come to us. We must go where people are living ordinary, regular lives. This “going” will look different for each of us. Some are, or will be, called to follow Jesus to different towns, cities, and countries to share His message of hope and freedom from sin. Some will be called to sports teams or jobs to share His message. For others, it may mean attending that family function you’d rather not attend in order to be available to show Jesus’ love. Our application from Jesus’ example is to intentionally live with our eyes and ears open. We will encounter people every day who either don’t know Jesus or have wandered away from Him. It’s our job to look, listen, and see those people through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, then boldly trust His prompting to reach out and share God’s love. We may even encounter those people in our own homes! Start praying now! Who might the Lord have waiting for His message through you today?!
2) What does it mean to fish for people? (verse 19)
Simply and plainly, fishing for people means living with our eyes wide open, feet ready to go, and hearts of compassion ready to share His love. (Ephesians 6:15, Romans 13:8) Pray for family and friends who don’t know Jesus, then seize the opportunities He gives to share His love. Fishing for people means living with generous, open hearts and hands. The apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 5:16 to “walk by the Spirit” in our everyday lives. Paul adds in verses 22-25, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” In a roundabout way, Paul is saying the same thing Jesus was living out. People are always watching, so let’s live in a manner worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1-3) with open, ready availability to share Jesus’ love with others. I would like to provide a warning here, or at least point out something we should keep in mind. It is not our job to “save” people, even those whom we love deeply. Jesus is the only One who can convict of sin and save for eternity! Our job is to share, love, encourage, answer questions, and walk alongside others with gentle respect, as the Spirit does the work only He can do in their hearts. It is easy to fall into the trap of making people “projects”, and there is no quicker way to scare them off! No one wants to be a project. Our love must be pure and genuine, just as the love of Jesus. (Romans 12:9-10)
3) Scripture says “immediately, they left their nets and followed”. What is the significance of the word “immediately”? (verses 20-22)
This is a hard study for me to write, because it’s personally convicting. There are far too many times in my life when I have ignored the “immediacy” command of following Jesus. When the Spirit prompts us, we are simply to obey, especially when He calls us to specifically share the gospel or pray with someone. It takes practice in listening to His voice as He trains us to stop, look up, and obey immediately. Certainly, big life changes, or situations where emotions are running over our willingness to listen to the Spirit, are excellent opportunities to slow down, seek wise biblical counsel, and pray with intentionality for direction. (Proverbs 19:20-21) There was a time when I felt certain God was calling me to quit my full-time job and go into full-time ministry. At the time, I was married with two small children and carrying our family’s medical insurance. It was a highly emotional conviction, but I felt absolutely certain it was right. However, I knew I needed to talk with my husband and seek godly counsel before making the decision. While I did end up quitting my full-time job, I didn’t have the opportunity for a ministry career until years later and it still isn’t full-time. Some may read my story and think I was disobedient by not “immediately” following, consequently missing an opportunity. Perhaps, but based on where I was in my journey with Jesus, I did what I felt God was leading me to do by praying and seeking godly counsel before finalizing a decision. We’re all different and Jesus calls us in unique ways. If we are not actively living with open eyes, ears, and hands, we just may miss out entirely. Let’s commit to intentionally listening and quickly obeying as He faithfully leads!
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1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
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3) Write down your questions
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4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
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