Thaddeus M. Maharaj: ΕχεGrεεκsις: Fishers of Men …...Thaddeus M. Maharaj:...

Thaddeus M. Maharaj: ΕχεGrεεκsις: "Fishers of Men" – Matthew 4:18-22

Matthew 4:18 Περιπατῶν δὲ παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν τῆς Γαλιλαίας εἶδεν δύο ἀδελφούς,

Σίμωνα τὸν λεγόμενον Πέτρον καὶ Ἀνδρέαν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, βάλλοντας

ἀμφίβληστρον εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν· ἦσαν γὰρ ἁλιεῖς.

And while he was walking along the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (who is also

called Peter) and Andrew (his brother). They were throwing a cast-net into the sea, for they

were fishermen.

From a critical standpoint, the parallel account in Mark 1:14-20 is fairly similar to

Matthew's account. However, there are significant differences in the parallels in Luke 5:1-

11 and John 1:35-42. However, the "essential material in this section seems to reflect genuine

Jesus tradition (cf., e.g., Sanders 1993: 119). Once Jesus has moved to Capernaum (4:12–16),

he will naturally come into contact with fishermen."1 All four Gospels independently attest to

Peter and Andrew following Jesus in Galilee. There is no reason to invent the four men's

occupation as fishermen, nor Andrew who did not play a central role in either the Gospels

or Paul's letters and thus is likely only appears for historical reasons.2

It is significant that the first recorded action by Matthew of Jesus after his testing in

the desert and the beginning of his public ministry is that he gathers a group of followers. 1 Keener, The Gospel of Matthew, 148.

2 Keener, The Gospel of Matthew, 148.


From here on, "we shall not read stories about Jesus alone, but stories about Jesus and his

disciples. Wherever he goes they will go; their presence with Jesus, even if not explicitly

mentioned, is assumed."3 So Matthew's story until the point when the disciples desert Jesus

in Gethsemane (26:56) is that of not only Jesus the Messiah, "but also of the messianic

community which is being formed around him."4

The way Matthew

presents the scene, opening off

with Περιπατῶν δὲ παρὰ τὴν

θάλασσαν (And while he was

walking along the Sea), seems to

imply that Jesus was simply

walking by when he saw the men.

It is possible though from the

parallel accounts that there may

have been some previous contact.

"Simon and Andrew have already

encountered Jesus when Andrew

was a disciple of John (John 1:35–

41), so Jesus’ call is not as abrupt as might otherwise be imagined."5 However, Matthew

chooses to emphasize the immediacy of their response in the subsequent verses. Though

his name is not specifically mentioned in verse 18, Jesus is the implied subject of the action

here as it directly follows verse 17 and there is no reason to think that the subject has

changed since. However, some translations (for example TEV and NEB) choose to add his

name in here for the sake of clarity.

The word θάλασσα simply means a large body of water and could be either

translated as sea or lake.6 "This lake is about 20 kilometers long by 13 kilometers wide"—

which isn't that big, especially in comparison to the 'Great Lakes' here in North America.7

However, due to the familiarity of the phrase being translated "the Sea of Galilee" in many

popular translations I chose to go with "sea" rather than "lake" to avoid confusion. The

word θάλασσαν is in the accusative, thus παρὰ is best rendered as "along" or "by" and it

implies he was likely walking along the shore.

3 France, The Gospel of Matthew, 145.

4 France, The Gospel of Matthew, 145.

5 Blomberg, Matthew, 90.

6 Louw, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 13.

7 Newman, A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew, 94.


Simon was a very common name, "it is

found in Sirach 50:1, in Josephus" and also we

meet four other Simons in Matthew (10:4;

13:55; 26:6; 27:32).8 So the nickname which

Jesus later gave to Simon (Mark 3:16) is used

here by Matthew to distinguish him from the

others possibly because it was the name by

which his readers knew him.9 As a result I

have put "who is called Simon" in brackets to

be more of a clarifying statement and

similarly for Andrew—"his brother." The name Simon is Semitic, but Andrew is Greek and

"their names reflect the mixed culture of that Hellenistic settlement just across the river from

Jewish Capernaum."10 Both pairs of brothers were fishermen, and while Matthew doesn’t

seek to give us an account of how all the disciples were called, it is perhaps significant that

he focuses on these—especially in light of Jesus' later statement that he will make them

"fishers of men." There is an obvious play on these words which is being used by Jesus and

emphasized by Matthew. It is "consistent with Jesus’ rhetoric elsewhere, he teaches his

hearers in terms they can understand."11

An ἀμφίβληστρον is that which is “cast around,” and is a "circular net with a

weighted edge which is drawn together to enclose the fish."12 Perhaps this is significant if we

are to think more about the method of fishing employed here in relation to Jesus' following

statement that he will make them "fishers of people." If Jesus was indeed using the

opportunity of coming upon these men in the action of fishing using a cast-net, he may have

been alluding to how he would make them

'net' people for the kingdom using the cast-

net of gospel proclamation. This maybe

opens of some potentially interesting

possibilities for using this in sermon

preaching. We throw the net of the gospel

out into the sea not knowing who

specifically will fall under it, and the Lord

gives the catch. Perhaps this would be more explicit considering Luke's miraculous account

of the phrase following their catch of enough fish to burst their nets.



10 France, The Gospel of Matthew, 146–147.

11 Keener, The Gospel of Matthew, 151.

12 France, The Gospel of Matthew, 146–147.


Matthew's locating of the phrase ἦσαν γὰρ ἁλιεῖς (for they were fishermen) at the

end of this verse also helps to readily connect it with Jesus' call to make them ἁλιεῖς

ἀνθρώπων (fishers of people) in verse 19.

Matthew 4:19-20 καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου, καὶ ποιήσω ὑμᾶς ἁλιεῖς

ἀνθρώπων. οἱ δὲ εὐθέως ἀφέντες τὰ δίκτυα ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ.

And he said to them, "Come follow after me, and I will make you fishers of people." So they

immediately abandoned their nets and followed him.

The phrase δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου is interesting. The word

δεῦτε is and adverb used as an imperative command here

and implies an "extension toward a goal at or near the

speaker and implying movement—‘here, hither, come here."13

The preposition ὀπίσω (behind, after) seems to allude at the

continued following behind of Jesus and not just that he was

calling them to his present location. Jesus' summons is more

typical of a prophets such as Elijah’s call of Elisha (1 Kgs

19:19–21) than of a rabbi.14 This is not a call to simply a

stroll along the beach, but rather an invitation to discipleship

and a lasting association with him.15 Therefore I have

translated it "come follow after me" to try to emphasize this.

"A disciple was an adherent or follower of a master, an intimate companion in some

common endeavor, often learning and promoting a particular ideology."16 At this point, these

men would not have known Jesus well, and probably did not know much about his mission.

However, clearly, fishing for people may have sounded more dignifying than fishing for fish

and thus "Jesus was inviting them to something very worthwhile."17

The idea of discipleship was not foreign to this era.

"Greek teachers had disciples (e.g., Diog. Laert. 9.1.4–5; Pythagoras had about

eighty—Diog. Laert. 8.1.39), and Jewish sages, including Pharisaic sages (Jos. Ant. 15.3,

13

Louw, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 722. 14

France, The Gospel of Matthew, 147. 15

Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew, 85. 16

Blomberg, Matthew, 90. 17

Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew, 85.


370), heavily emphasized making disciples (m. ʾAbot 1:1; cf. Hor. 3:5), who were to

repeat back what they learned (Sifre Deut. 48.2.6)"18

However, Jesus’ was not the conventional rabbi. Normally disciples took the

initiative and sought a rabbi for themselves to follow. Also no one would expect these

fishermen to be seeking a Rabbi. These men may have been fishermen because they could

not or did not want to put up with the rigors of academic Torah studies. Or perhaps they

simply inherited the profession as simple tradesmen coming from families in that field.

Jesus "seeking out disciples himself may thus represent a serious breach of custom (Malina

1981: 78; but cf., e.g., Jer 1:4–10), 'coming down to their level' socially" especially when other

elitist rabbis of the day allegedly only wanted to educate those of honorable birth.19

Whatever the case, in coming to these fishermen, Jesus was indeed reaching the least likely

bunch who weren't what the society would have expected to be the natural choice for those

he'd eventually leave the task of continuing his ministry.

As mentioned before, the phrase "fishers of

people" is of significance here. The structure of

Mark 1:17 and Matthew 4:19 is “recognizably

Semitic,” and only makes sense as part of the

narrative. 20 "Witherington also observes that

'fishers of humans' is hardly a later Christian image

for mission, but the metaphor makes sense if some

of Jesus’ earliest disciples were fishermen." 21 Jesus

is not saying that being “fisher of people” involves

seductive, deceitful, or harmful means. They are

not bait fishing with a lure and hook. Rather, they

fish with the ἀμφίβληστρον (cast-net) that

fishermen use to try to gather fish from the sea. In

this way they will try to gather together other individuals to follow Jesus in radical

obedience.22 Interestingly, "Jer. 16:16 uses the same metaphor of 'catching' sinful people for

judgment (cf. also Amos 4:2; Hab. 1:14–17), and indeed from the fish’s point of view that is a

more natural sense: it is no blessing for a fish to be caught!"23 This metaphor is used again in

13:47–50, where the same “catching” leads some to judgment and others to salvation. "It is

18

Keener, The Gospel of Matthew, 150. 19



Keener, The Gospel of Matthew, 148–149. 22


France, The Gospel of Matthew, 147.


a metaphor for the time of decision, and Simon and Andrew will have a role in bringing people

to that decision (10:5–15; 28:19–20)."24

There is a textual variant, with some manuscripts adding γενεσθαι (to become)

between ὑμᾶς (you) and ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων (fishers of people). This would perhaps highlight

the process of becoming fishers of people rather than just simply being made fishers of

people. Ultimately though, I don't see it as a significant detail which would be worth being

mentioned in sermons.

There is some notable

stress on the immediacy of the

disciples response to Jesus' call as

in both cases Matthew uses the

same construction οἱ δὲ εὐθέως

ἀφέντες—"and they immediately

abandoned" what they were doing. Perhaps the fact that it follows immediately after

Matthew's summary of Jesus' ministry call to urgent repentance "for the kingdom of heaven

is at hand" has something to bear on his emphasis on the immediate nature of their

response. The word ἀφέντες can have the meaning 'abandon' and "whether Matthew means

it in this sense or not he is speaking of a decisive action."25

The term δίκτυα is not a specific type of net "unlike sagēnē, the large 'drag-net' of

13:47 which required one or more boats" or the ἀμφίβληστρον (cast-net) used earlier.26 So it

is possible that Matthew is simply stating that they abandoned whatever nets they had as

tools of their trade to follow Jesus. "They left their nets and all that those nets meant

behind."27 The verb ἠκολούθησαν (followed) may be used as simply walking behind (21:9),

but it also means “accompany” (v. 25). "This idea of association may intensify into that of

being a disciple, which is clearly what is in mind here."28 This verb—ἀκολουθέω—"is a key

word for Matthew and often, though not always, implies discipleship."29

Also some manuscripts add αυτῶν (their) after δίκτυα (nets) in verse 20. This

would stress the fact that the nets were their own and not simply some nets which were

lying around, perhaps drawing attention to the abandonment of their own possessions. It

could possibly have been a clarifying word added in by scribes—I'm not sure, however I

don't think it too profitable to research it further as this point of leaving everything behind

to follow Christ is made clear in other places by Matthew.

24






Blomberg, Matthew, 91.


Matthew 4:21-22 καὶ προβὰς ἐκεῖθεν εἶδεν ἄλλους δύο ἀδελφούς, Ἰάκωβον τὸν τοῦ

Ζεβεδαίου καὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ μετὰ Ζεβεδαίου τοῦ πατρὸς

αὐτῶν καταρτίζοντας τὰ δίκτυα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐκάλεσεν αὐτούς. οἱ δὲ εὐθέως ἀφέντες

τὸ πλοῖον καὶ τὸν πατέρα αὐτῶν ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ.

Moving on from there, he saw another pair of brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his

brother John. They were in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. So Jesus

called them and they immediately abandoned the boat and their father and followed him.

The verb προβαίνω means "to continue to move forward—‘to move on, to go on, to go

ahead" and implies some progression.30 The manner in which the subsequent event unfolds

make it seem like happenstance—that as Jesus was continuing to journey along the

Galilean shore, he sees the other brothers and calls out to them. The phrase ἄλλους δύο

ἀδελφούς implies that these other two men were brothers of each other but not of the

aforementioned pair, Simon and Andrew. Some translations may be unclear in

differentiating this and making it seem as if they were two other brothers of Simon and

Andrew.31 Thus I have chosen to translate the phrase "another pair of brothers" to hopefully

make this distinction clear. Though it is not certain, since James is mentioned first, he may

have been the older brother.32

Of the four, Peter, James, and John will form the inner circle of Jesus’ followers.33

They will be chosen to be with Jesus in moments of special significance such as the

transfiguration (17:1) and Gethsemane (26:37). They are often mentioned by name

whereas the rest of the Twelve don't receive such specific mention beyond the list of names

in 10:2–4. "The proximity here of the two pairs of brothers suggests (as Luke 5:7, 10 states

explicitly) that the four were already colleagues in the fishing business." 34 So it is

understandable why Matthew would give prominence to the call of these men particularly.

Comparing James and John with the account of Peter and Andrew, they are with

their father. Perhaps this alludes to them being younger as they were still under the

apprenticeship of their father. I have noticed in the fishing villages in Trinidad that it is not

uncommon particularly to see younger males learning the trade from their father. Or

perhaps it was simply because they were mending the nets and could use the help. I'd be

cautious to read too far into this detail. However I don't think it unreasonable to assume 30

Louw, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 183. 31

Newman, A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew, 97. 32



France, The Gospel of Matthew, 145.


that this was somehow a family trade. The fact that they had their own boat perhaps helps

confirm this theory, and Mark 1:20 confirms that they had hired hands as well.

The participle καταρτίζοντας may

have the specific meaning of "repair" but "it

may also have a more general meaning of

'getting … ready' (TEV); AT has 'putting their

nets in order'; Brc 'servicing their nets'; NEB

'overhauling their nets.'" 35 However it is

taken, they were preparing their nets for

another fishing expedition. "This would

involve any necessary repairs, and cleaning

and folding the nets."36 I have chosen to

render it "mending" since perhaps it is logical

after the Lukan account that they would need to mend their nets. I recognize though that

this is my own theorizing and harmonization of the Gospels.

Again, there is emphasis on their prompt response to his call. Their response was

wholehearted, and they left their nets, boat and their father who would have been their

strongest family tie. "Allegiance to Jesus is stronger than any earthly attachment. But we

should not think that they left their father to manage on his own; he had hired hands who

worked for him (Mark 1:20)."37The "suddenness with which Zebedee is left behind in the boat

suggests an unpremeditated action. Matthew betrays no awareness of the previous meeting of

some of this group with Jesus by the Jordan which is mentioned in John 1:35–42."38 However,

the priority of discipleship even over family ties is referenced numerous times by Matthew

(8:18–22; 10:21–22, 34–37; 12:46–50). Jesus’ call was scandalous—it cost comfort and

challenged the priority of family (10:37).39 The "tension between such demands and the

proper concern for parents" is something "Jesus will defend in 15:3–6" and "underlines the

radical urgency of his call."40 In 19:27-29 we are reminded of the radical dissociation which

their call to discipleship entailed.

"The repetition of similar language with regard both to the call of Matthew in 9:9 and

to the abortive call to the rich man in 19:21–22 shows that Matthew’s understanding

of discipleship was ideally of “giving up everything” to follow Jesus. Cf. 8:19–22 for

35



Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew, 86–87. 38



France, The Gospel of Matthew148.


Jesus’ uncompromising demands on would-be followers."41

Also though some may think the fishermen were already poor and had nothing to

lose in following Christ, it was costly economically to them, involving downward mobility.

"Although artisans made far less than the wealthy (who comprised perhaps one

percent of the ancient population), they were not among the roughly 90 percent of the

ancient population we may call peasants, either. Fishermen, like tax gatherers, were

“among the more economically mobile of the village culture” (Freyne 1988: 241).

Although the primary occupation even on the lake of Galilee was agricultural (Horsley

1995: 194), fishing remained a major industry there (Safrai 1974/76b: 747), and fish

was a primary staple of the first-century Palestinian diet (Neusner 1984: 23), as

elsewhere in Mediterranean antiquity…"42

Furthermore, though there is some speculation as to whether or not Jesus' ministry

was seasonal and thus the disciples were able to return to their families for part of the year,

this still would not make it easy for them to return to an abandoned business. "For most

workers in the artisan class like fishermen even seasonal departure from their families and

livelihoods would be costly (though better than being away the entire year)."43

Matthew's inclusion of these stories tell us of the worthlessness of possessions in

comparison to the incomparable value of what was gained by these disciples. "For Matthew,

the kingdom is like a precious treasure, worth the abandonment of all other treasures (13:44–

46)."44 These accounts not only report the historical activity of the first disciples, "but he

also presents it as a model of discipleship for his own audience."45 We too should take

seriously the call to discipleship, immediate response and considering "all things loss" for

the sake of Christ. Also, Jesus said, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." So if

we're not "fishing"—are we really following? Evangelism and passion for sharing the

Gospel should be definitional to the life of every disciple of Christ. Some good food for

thought for us…

41



Keener, The Gospel of Matthew, 152–153. 44


Keener, The Gospel of Matthew, 153.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Blomberg, Craig. Matthew. Vol. 22. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman &

Holman Publishers, 1992.

France, R. T. The Gospel of Matthew. The New International Commentary on the New

Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co., 2007.

Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI;

Cambridge, U.K.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009.

Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene Albert Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament:

Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies, 1996.

Morris, Leon. The Gospel according to Matthew. The Pillar New Testament Commentary.

Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992.

Newman, Barclay Moon, and Philip C. Stine. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. UBS

Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies, 1992.

Robertson, A. T. A Short Grammar of the Greek New Testament, for Students Familiar with

the Elements of Greek. New York: Hodder & Stoughton, 1908.

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