Matthew 4:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.

NIV: Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them,

NASB: Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets; and He called them.

CSB: 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.

NLT: A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too.

KJV: And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.

NKJV: Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them,

Matthew is describing how Jesus gathered His team of disciples. After calling the brothers Andrew and Peter to follow Him, they immediately left behind their nets—and their careers—to become disciples of the man they believed to be the Messiah.

Now Jesus continues along the shore of the Sea of Galilee in or near Capernaum. He sees another pair of brothers at their work as fishermen. These two, James and John, are working in a boat with their father Zebedee. The boat is large enough to hold several people. It may have been the kind large enough to hold as many as 15 men. With larger boats, fishermen could capture and haul more fish, increasing their profits.

James and John and their father were mending the big, circular fishing nets they used to catch and haul in the fish. If this was morning, they may have just finished a night of fishing. Jesus calls the brothers to follow Him: to be His disciples. It is likely that John had met Jesus before (John 1:35–39), though Matthew doesn't say so explicitly.

Matthew 4:18–22 describes Jesus' calling of two sets of brothers to follow Him as His disciples. Both pairs are working as fishermen on the Sea of Galilee as Jesus is walking by. He commands them to follow Him. Both Andrew and Peter, and James and John, immediately do so, leaving behind careers and family.

Matthew 3 ended with the Holy Spirit coming to rest on Jesus following His baptism. Now the Spirit leads Him into the wilderness to endure tempting by the devil after 40 days of fasting. Jesus demonstrates His sinlessness by resisting all temptations. He begins His ministry in the region of Galilee, settling in Capernaum and calling some disciples to follow Him. Jesus' work in Galilee includes traveling from place to place, proclaiming the good news that the kingdom of heaven is near and healing every kind of affliction. He soon becomes famous, drawing huge crowds from great distances.

Matthew 3 ends with a great affirmation from the voice of God the Father: Jesus is His Son. Immediately after that, God's Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness for a time of temptation by the devil. Jesus passes that test and then begins His ministry in the region of Galilee. Jesus begins to call His disciples and travel around the region. He teaches in the synagogues and heals people with every kind of affliction. Jesus' fame grows quickly. This provides Him a large audience for the Sermon on the Mount, which Matthew begins to record in chapter 5.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.