The Great Sending, Chapter 9

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” —Matthew 4:19

STUDY 9: Calling of the Disciples / Apostles to Christ’s Mission

Scripture: Matthew 4:12-22; 9:9-13; Mark 1:14-20; 2:13-17;Luke 5:1-11, 27-32; 6:12-13; John 1:35-51

by Reverand Dr. Wilbert J. Sohns

The calling of the disciples by Christ at the beginning of His public mission and ministry is recorded in all four Gospels. It is a manifestation of the Missio Dei, the mission of God in the world. When He was preparing to ascend back to His heavenly home, Jesus commanded to the disciples, even as they were going, to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). This is exactly what Christ Himself was doing at the beginning of His public ministry: he was making disciples of Peter, James, John, Andrew, Nathanael, Philip, and Matthew.

The fact that Jesus summoned an odd crowd of fishermen and a tax collector to follow Him is both mind-boggling and insightful. As He Himself was fishing for men, He directed those He called to also fish for men. His summons were not based on the quality of the men; He did not require that they be educated, reputable in the community, self-righteous, nor religious leaders. That’s because Christ would create and shape His learners. By following Christ, these disciples were entering into a relationship with the sent Son of God. For the followers, that relationship was life-changing.
These texts on the calling of people to faith, to become learners of Christ, to come after Him and accompany Him in His mission, demonstrate that Jesus Himself takes the initiative. He brings people into relationship with Him and into a partnership in His mission (fishing for men).

The most famous line in the movie, “Field of Dreams,” is the reassuring phrase, “if you build it, they will come.” So often, church leaders and congregations want to operate under the same strategy. Build a traditional, new, contemporary, or pure Lutheran worship liturgy and they will come. But this mentality, as popular as it is in “Field of Dreams,” fails to recognize Christ’s role in initiating His mission. Christ works in people’s hearts. Christ builds the understanding and application of His mission. He uses us to reach “them.”

In taking the initiative, Christ demonstrated the grace of going where people are. In Christ’s day, people were on the seashore. They were fishing and mending their nets. They were out on the streets collecting taxes, eating with public sinners, and spending time with people like them – people with fears and doubts. This act of grace evoked an immediate response from the first disciples: they immediately left their boats and nets and way of life and followed. The word “left” (past tense of “leave”) comes from the same root word as “forgiveness,” a type of sending or casting off. So, they sent away their boats and nets, etc. But they did not cast away the world.

In naming the disciples “apostles,” Christ makes it clear that discipleship is apostolic. The call to discipleship is a call to the apostolate (being sent), a call to participate in the Missio Dei.
In his book, Follow Me, Martin Franzmann writes, “The apostolate does not differ essentially from that of discipleship.” The call to discipleship authorizes the “followers” (or the “sent ones”) to take the initiative, and just as Christ, to establish relationships. Like Christ, we are called to make disciples, to mend (repair, restore) the nets, to leave our own comfort zones and to go to where the world works, lives, plays, and eats.

Questions to ponder with
yourself and others

• Describe how Jesus’s calling of you to follow Him has been life-changing.
• What does it mean to you that Christ has made you a partner in being “fishers of men?”
• The disciples left their nets and boats to be co-associates with Jesus. What have you left or are contemplating leaving to partner with Jesus?

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