I bring you a message from the Gospel accounts of the Lord Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry. Learn a bit about how the Lord Jesus Christ’s call to service can be seen in the lives of His apostles and how unwilling our Lord was to allow partial and incomplete responses to His will for disciples’ lives.

The portions of Scripture I want to draw your attention to relating to the Lord’s earthly ministry when it was moving into high gear when His public notoriety was on the increase when people began gathering around Him by the thousands to see what He would do and to hear what He would say.

Remember that the Lord’s earthly ministry began far to the South, on the Jordan River banks near Jericho and due East of Jerusalem, where He was baptized by His cousin, John the Baptist. After that, John the Baptist was arrested in the region East of Galilee by Herod the Tetrarch. However, rather than lie low, the Lord Jesus Christ began to travel around that region Himself, in His home country around Nazareth in Galilee, and across the Jordan River into that area where Herod the Tetrarch, the man who had arrested His cousin, was in charge.

During those early days of Christ’s ministry, events unfolded that are frequently misinterpreted but that I want to draw to your attention that has implications in the lives of everyone who is a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Two significant things to take note of:

The First Significant Thing, THE LORD CONFUSED HIS DISCIPLES

Luke 4.42-44:

42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.

43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.

44 And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.

The motives of people are emphasized, as we see in verses 42-44. In verse 42, Luke recorded the events of the next day, after the Sabbath on which the Lord Jesus had healed Simon Peter’s mother-in-law (Mark 1.31), after He had cast out a demon in the synagogue in Capernaum (Mark 1.23-26). There was a great crowd there, apparently, from the night before. As the Lord Jesus Christ went out into a remote region, they followed Him, surrounded Him, and tried to influence Him to remain where they were. They wanted Him to be responsive to them rather than them being responsive to Him. The Greek word translated “stayed” in Luke 4.42 means to restrain someone or to hold someone back.[1] The people either stood in our Lord’s way as He tried to walk on, or they physically grabbed Him to stop Him from leaving. Imagine that. In verse 43, the Lord Jesus Christ informed them that His goal and purpose was to preach the kingdom of God to other cities. The word “preach” here is usually translated as “evangelize.” So, we see people who, because they were primarily concerned about themselves and meeting their own individual needs, were unaware of the big picture. Had they the broad scope of vision that the Lord Jesus had, had they a concern for their fellows that was equal to their concern for themselves, they might have understood the Lord’s desire to go and evangelize others. Despite their feelings, the Lord Jesus did what He purposed to do. He would not allow the desires of that multitude of people to dictate His course of action. This is shown in verse 44. The Lord Jesus does not follow. He leads. He does not conform to His disciples’ desires. His disciples conform to His will.

In Mark 1.35-39 we have an indication of the men who were with Him, with Mark’s account containing no mention of the crowds that had tried to restrain Him:

Mark 1.35-39:

35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.

37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.

38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.

39 And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.

From your reading of the Bible, you might remember that in Capernaum, the Lord Jesus Christ had recently recalled Simon Peter and some of the others and that they were following Him. He had called them once before to be His disciples, and He has only recently called them again. To this point, He had twice called them to follow Him.

In verse 35, we see why the Lord Jesus Christ went to a desert place to pray. Sometimes, we should leave the crowded room and the multitudes to seek peace and solitude in prayer and communion with God. How do we know this to be true? The Son of God needed such times alone.

In verses 36 and 37, we learn two things: First, we learn who traveled with our Lord. At least Simon Peter. Others (“they that were with him”) are not mentioned by name, but I would guess His whole contingent of disciples thus far are there looking for the Lord and succeeding in interrupting His solitude. Second, Simon Peter communicated the wishes of the multitudes to the Lord. Who knows how excited he may have been to share this good news with His Master: “All men seek for thee.” Who knows how disappointed he may have been with the answer: “Let us go.”

Verse 38 suggests that the people were expecting a different kind of Messiah than our Lord Jesus was. Peter and the others were probably waiting for some political leader who would destroy the Romans and restore Israel to her old prominence. However, Christ did not communicate like a political Messiah here, trying to gain support for a popular uprising and the eventual overthrow of Rome.

In Matthew 4.23-25, we get a better idea of the enormity of the following Christ was developing among the multitudes:

Matthew 4.23-25:

23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.

According to verse 23, Christ was teaching, preaching, and healing “all manner of sickness” and “all manner of disease.” Be careful what you make of this. Be mindful that you do not assume from this account that our Lord healed every sick and disabled person. Nothing is stated in Scripture that He did that. Rather, He healed every kind of sickness and disease.

Notice the places mentioned in verses 24 and 25. Looking at your map of the Middle East during the time of Christ, note that Syria refers to that region, which includes what is now Lebanon. The city of Antioch was the capital of Roman Syria. Galilee, of course, is the region North and West of the Sea of Galilee. Decapolis was settled primarily by Greek-speaking Gentiles to the East of the Jordan River. Judging from the various places mentioned, it would seem highly likely that plenty of Gentiles were among these multitudes.

The Lord Jesus Christ’s first general tour of Galilee is really picking up steam here. However, remember that His methods of ministry were teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing all sorts of diseases and ailments ... giving folks a taste of what kingdom life would be like during the millennium, that future kingdom He will set up when He comes back to earth a second time. I say that to suggest that being so different from the common man’s conception of what the Messiah was then imagined to be, the Lord Jesus Christ did not engage in the kind of ministry or activities a man like Peter and his friends would particularly enjoy or gravitate to.

Peter would probably have been far more comfortable with a ministry confined exclusively to Jews, with a ministry that was more political and anti-Roman, and with a ministry that cultivated the fancies of the multitudes more. What do you think a man would do who found the calling of Christ to discipleship contrary to his natural tendencies? Will he quit? Or will he stick? Of course, Peter did quit. The other disciples quit, as well, for our next glimpse in the Lord’s ministry concerns the third and final calling of the Lord’s first disciples.

The Second Significant Thing, THE THIRD CALLING OF THE LORD’S FIRST DISCIPLES

Luke 5.1-11:

1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,

2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:

10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

Remember, if you will, that the Lord Jesus Christ had already called four of His disciples on two previous occasions. First, when He returned from His wilderness temptations and was pointed out by John the Baptist to Andrew and John, who then recruited their brothers, John chapter 1. Then, sometime later, when Christ returned to Galilee for the first time since the beginning of His public ministry, he went to Capernaum and called His first disciples once more to follow Him as they stood along the shore of the Sea of Galilee—finally, the third calling of these first disciples of the Lord. There are seven particular points to note in these 11 verses.

First, the observation, verses 1-2. Notice the circumstances surrounding the Lord’s observation. We seem to have a completely different scenario from that presented in Mark 1 and Matthew 4, which record the second calling of the disciples. The throngs of people were squeezing the Lord Jesus by the Lake of Gennesaret, another term for the Sea of Galilee, and something had to be done if He would minister to that many people effectively.

The word “ships” here, ploῖon, refers to small boats, such as were commonly used by fishermen on that body of water.[2] The fishermen were washing their nets, something that needed to be done at the end of each fishing day. Remember, in the previous calling of the disciples, they were actually casting their nets. Therefore, this is a different occasion.

Second, the order, verses 3-4. I want you to pay particular attention to the Lord Jesus Christ’s directive to Simon Peter. First, the Lord rearranged Peter’s priorities. Washing nets was a big deal for fishermen. If they did not properly wash their nets, they had to repair them more frequently and maybe even replace them. Imagine the loss of the catch should the nets tear. The Lord Jesus Christ knew that, but He wanted the boat anyway, and He wanted it at a time that could hardly have been less convenient for them. However, the things of God are more important than our convenience. Amen? They and others needed to hear what the Lord Jesus had to say.

Second, Simon Peter obeyed the Lord and cast out a little way so the Master could teach the people. When the Lord sat down in the boat, He taught them. In that culture, the teacher’s posture was a sitting position. However, what about Peter? How happy do you think he was? Remember, he had been up fishing all night, and washing the nets was the final bit of work to be done before turning in for some much-needed sleep.

Third, take note of the second bit of direction the Lord Jesus gave to Peter. In effect, He said, “Go out to where it is deep, Peter, and let down you nets.” Three things to remember: First, Peter and the others had been working all night. They were exhausted, and the Lord Jesus had already spent some time teaching. Second, the nets the Lord wanted them to use were likely nets they had just finished washing and cleaning. And third, the Lord specifically directed Peter to lower their nets, plural.

Third, the obedience of Peter, verse 5. Notice that though Simon Peter did respectfully address the Lord as “master,” using a word that acknowledged the Lord’s right to issue commands that ought to be followed, he did so with a note of protest. First, he let it be known that he was tired. Second, he let it be known that he had fished all night and caught nothing. The implication? “If I, a fisherman, can catch nothing, what can you do for me?” The vital thing to note here was Peter’s willingness to give the Lord incomplete obedience. The Lord specifically directed him to lower nets. But what did Peter do? He dropped a net. A single net. That was incomplete obedience. What is another word for incomplete obedience? Right. Disobedience. What is the price of disobedience?

Next, the Lord demonstrated His omnipotence in verses 6-7. The word “they” suggests that though Peter is the man the Lord is talking to, there were others with him in the boat to handle it and help with the net. When they did what Peter had said, which was less than what the Lord had directed, they netted many fish. Do you see some truths here?

First, I am struck by the Lord’s omnipotence. He can do anything He wants to do. He had sovereignly chosen to bless Peter with a particular size catch, and He did. If Peter thought that the Lord would infringe on his time and use his boat and nets without some blessing in return, he did not know much about how the Lord works. That raised a number of questions. Do you suppose Peter’s nets would have broken had he let down nets instead of a net? Could it have been that there were too many fish for that one net, and that’s why the Lord told him to lower nets? Could it have been that his incomplete obedience was the cause of the net tearing?

Second, do you suppose many fish he might have landed swam away when they found no more room in Peter’s net? Sure, he called for help, and they landed a tremendous fish catch. But how many more might have been caught? Let us not concentrate our attention on material blessings alone. But consider how many blessings of various types we miss daily due to our incomplete obedience.

What are the causes of incomplete obedience? There could be several causes. Fatigue. Ignorance. Failure to consider the Lord’s complete knowledge, His omniscience. Failure to consider the Lord’s total power, His omnipotence. I am continually saddened by the blessings so many people miss by not attending the midweek service. How different is that from lowering one net into the water rather than two, thereby missing out on so much? And as Peter led his friends to disobey by lowering one net, how many parents deprive their children of blessings by staying home?

Next, Peter’s obeisance, verses 8-10a. Peter knew that his partial obedience was wrong. He knew it was incomplete. And he knew that he had allowed fatigue to play a role that it ought not to play in deciding to do right. He probably also knew that he had no business being in the fishing business at that point. He likely realized that Christ’s call was on his life and that he ought to be investing his time at the feet of the Master on a full-time basis.

So, when a small demonstration of divine power was exhibited, Peter and the others realized they had done wrong by returning to their trade. They might very well have focused their attention on working hard to meet the material needs of their families and loved ones. And that is good. But if God wants you in the ministry, if He wants you to forego your trade or accommodate your career in favor of spiritual leadership, you must trust God to work out the details.

To be sure, Simon Peter and the others gave up some measure of material prosperity as fishermen in a region where fishermen did well. They exchanged material prosperity for relative poverty. But they did not come up as losers. The spiritual blessings rained upon them for giving up their old lives to follow Christ were far and away superior to anything this world has to offer.

Sixth, the objective, verse 10b. What was the whole point of borrowing the boat, the teaching, the lowering of the net, and the catching of fish? The multitudes were blessed on that occasion and heard the Lord Jesus present the Gospel. But for the disciples, there was a different objective the Lord wanted to accomplish. What He achieved was a complete redirecting of their lives. “Don’t be afraid, men. From now on you are going to catch men.”

Do you think they had discussed the call of God among themselves? Do you imagine they had pondered the implications of being transformed from men who lived by the sweat of their brow and the muscles in their back and arms to men who would be trained to teach and preach profound truth? I think so. And I think it frightened them. So, the Lord arranged the entire demonstration to show them that He can bless them in whatever they do for Him.

Finally, their occupation, verse 11. In that boat, the decision was made to forsake everything and follow Jesus Christ. There would be times in the future when their commitments wavered. However, the real decision to do right was likely made at that time and place. Friends, the Lord calls and calls again. But there must come a time, and He so engineers that occasion when He wants a well-considered and fully informed decision to give Him His due.

Sometimes, such a decision can be made in the heart and mind of a child who is so young that he will never remember not being committed to the Lord in whatever way the Lord wants. But for most of us, such an occasion will be a turning point and will be remembered. Oh, you may not think about it a great deal as the years of service to Christ go on and continue. But there are times and occasions, perhaps when counseling a young Christian or sitting back and recounting the varied blessings of God in your life, when the Holy Spirit brings you the remembrance of this time in your life.

For me, it was in December of 1975 in my pastor’s office. When was it for you? Perhaps it is now for you. If now is the time for your fully considered and carefully pondered decision to give it all to the Lord, then consider sealing that commitment with acknowledgment, an entry in your journal, a discussion with your spouse, or perhaps a private testimony to your pastor.

Such a time will not usually be the occasion of surrendering to full-time service as a preacher, evangelist, or missionary. Usually, it is that event in your life that you decide to be and do whatever the Savior wants. And He may very well want you to work out your choice of jobs, engage in a devoted family life, and serve faithfully as a member of your Church. But from this point forward, your commitment is unreserved allegiance to Christ. That is discipleship. The Lord will settle for nothing less than what He has planned for you.

What can we learn from what we have studied this evening? I want you to walk away from here with two things on your mind:

First, the Lord Jesus Christ isn’t what you think He is. Whatever your conception of Him, what happened to Peter and the others will happen to you. The Lord Jesus is what He is. He is not what we want Him to be. When something happens, and you discover in a powerful way that the Lord Jesus Christ isn’t what you thought He was or wanted Him to be, you may be somewhat disappointed like those disciples. Maybe, like them, you’ll even stop following Him for a while. I hope not, though it sometimes happens. That is number one.

Number two. He will come after you again. He will reclaim you. He will, somehow and in some way, show you that it was your problem, not His, that caused your disappointment. Understand that you need to accept Him the way He is, not try and persuade Him to be the way you want Him to be. You follow Him, you respond to Him. Not the other way around.

That done, like these men, you will be able to walk with the Lord and serve Him. And the Lord will marvelously use you however His plan works out in your life.

__________

[1] Kateῖcon impf. ind. act. katέcw to hold back, to restrain. Conative impf. “they tried to restrain him.” Rogers, Jr., Cleon L. and Rogers III, Cleon L., The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key To The Greek New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: ZondervanPublishingHouse, 1998), page 118.

[2] Ibid.

The Third Call