LISTEN TO JESUS: FOLLOW ME TO FISH

LISTEN TO JESUS

FOLLOW ME TO FISH

Susie: In this passage, we see Jesus officially calling Peter, Andrew, James, and John. This is not His first encounter with Peter, Andrew, and John. If you go back to John chapter 1 beginning at verse 37, you will see that Andrew and probably John followed Jesus to where He was staying after hearing their mentor, John the Baptist, clearly proclaim Him to be the Son of God. (See the previous lesson titles “John the Baptist’s Disciples Follow Jesus Home.”

Matthew 4:18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

Mark 1:16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

Susan: It was not “coincidence” that Jesus chose to walk on the seashore that morning. Since He is fully human but still fully God, He knew where He would find the fishermen He wished to call as His disciples. Jesus did not relinquish His omniscience when He came to earth as the God-man.

Susie: Peter and Andrew who were brothers were in the fishing business together. In the passage in John’s gospel, after meeting Jesus, Andrew felt compelled to go tell his brother Peter about his marvelous encounter with the long-awaited Messiah. I remember when the Billy Graham crusade was coming to the area in California where I was raised, we had an “Andrew” night before the crusade began. The purpose of this night was to go out to our friends and invite them all to come to the crusade in the hope that we might have the opportunity to introduce them to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Matthew 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Mark 1:17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

Susie: Although Peter and Andrew had spent some time with Jesus earlier, they are now back to fishing. However, it is now time for Jesus to begin His public ministry. He is ready to call disciples to follow Him permanently and learn from Him daily. He issues the call, “Follow me,” to these men who had already formed the opinion that He could be the Messiah the nation of Israel was longing for.

Susan: Jesus tells them specifically that He will teach them to fish for “men” which is more correctly translated “people” to include women as well.

Susie: I cannot resist including a link to the song “I Catch ‘em, God Cleans ‘em” sung by the Gaither Vocal Band:

https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrDQyk0Gz9dzg4AWhU0nIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTBncGdyMzQ0BHNlYwNzZWFyY2gEdnRpZAM-;_ylc=X1MDMTM1MTE5NTcwMARfcgMyBGFjdG4DY2xrBGNzcmNwdmlkA0tPOXZJakV3TGpIMVppdmlYUUx0c1FCUk1qWXdOUUFBQUFBczM4TnIEZnIDeWhzLWF0dC1hdHRfMDAxBGZyMgNzYS1ncARncHJpZANnUlZxSll1a1FaR1dQM0R5dGlfOHdBBG5fcnNsdAM2MARuX3N1Z2cDMARvcmlnaW4DdmlkZW8uc2VhcmNoLnlhaG9vLmNvbQRwb3MDMARwcXN0cgMEcHFzdHJsAwRxc3RybAM2MwRxdWVyeQNJJTIwY2F0Y2glMjAnZW0lMkMlMjBHb2QlMjBjbGVhbnMlMjAnZW0lMjB2aWRlbyUyMHdpdGglMjBseXJpY3MEdF9zdG1wAzE1NjQ0MTY4NDE-?p=I+catch+%27em%2C+God+cleans+%27em+video+with+lyrics&ei=UTF-8&fr2=p%3As%2Cv%3Av%2Cm%3Asa&fr=yhs-att-att_001&hsimp=yhs-att_001&hspart=att#id=4&vid=c9cd5cb05d42cd38972248518252331f&action=view

Matthew 4:20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

Mark 1:18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.

Susan: Peter and Andrew immediately left their livelihood as gifted fishermen. At Jesus’s command, they followed Him. They made the decision to accompany Him as devoted students, to learn all they could from Him.

Susie: They abandoned the life they had always lived to embark on the adventure of discipleship. Much later, Peter would “remind” Jesus of this:

Matthew 19:27 (The Berean Study Bible) Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

Matthew 4:21 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.

Mark 1:19 And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.

Susie: Jesus, now followed by Peter and Andrew, continued walking along the shore until He came to the boat where James, John, and their father, Zebedee were mending nets. I have read commentary that Peter, Andrew, and Zebedee’s family may have been in the fishing business together. They were working in close proximity this day.

Susan: Jesus issued the same charge to James and John to become His mentees. This was not the first time they had seen Jesus, either, since John and probably James were among the disciples of John the Baptist.

Matthew 4:22 And they immediately left the ship and their father and followed him.

Mark 1:20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.

Susan: John and James immediately, without hesitation, left the boat and their daddy behind to fix the nets with the hired servants.

Susie: The fact that Zebedee was able to hire crewmen says that John and James left a thriving business to walk alongside Jesus. Do you think, at this point, they already believe Jesus to be the Son of God? Was it His magnetic personality that attracted them to Him in so few words?

Susan: I think there may have been a question mark in their minds about Jesus’s deity, but I believe the Holy Spirit compelled them to follow Jesus and investigate further and learn from Him as their Rabbi, their Teacher.

Ways we can apply this to our lives:

·     Peter, Andrew, James, and John did not hesitate to answer the call of Jesus. When the Holy Spirit prompts us to follow a specific path, we need to obey immediately and completely.

·     The four fishermen gave up everything to totally trust in Jesus. Are we willing to let go of everything (hold possessions, reputation, even people lightly) and place ourselves totally in God’s care?

LISTEN TO JESUS: REPENT

LISTEN TO JESUS

REPENT

MATTHEW 4:12-17

Matthew 4:12-14 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,

Susan: Jesus stayed on mission, focused. He did not make a special trip to see John the Baptist (his blood relative through Mary) in prison. I would have thought that His compassion might have taken Him off course long enough to comfort John. However, I do remember that when John’s disciples came to ask Jesus if He was the Messiah (Luke 7:19-23), Jesus sent them back with a message that would reassure John that Jesus was, indeed, the Son of God.

Susie: Matthew is setting the background for the beginning of Jesus’s public preaching ministry. Jesus has moved from His hometown of Nazareth and is dwelling in Capernaum and using it as His base of operations. This was not a random choice on His behalf. It was an integral part of the Father’s plan for His Son’s life as the God-Man on earth. Matthew (who writes mostly for the benefit of fellow Jews) points out that this location was prophesied by Isaiah and quotes from Isaiah 9:1-2.

Matthew 4:15-16 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

Susie: The regions of Zebulon and Naphtali had been the first taken captive by the Assyrians (see 2 Kings 15:29). Now they would be the first to hear the message of the Messiah preached publicly.

Susan: The ancesters of the people in this region of Galilee had endured the darkness of captivity in Assyria. And now these offspring groped in darkness awaiting the light of their Redeemer, the Messiah.

Susie: Matthew and John both identify Jesus as this long-awaited Light of the world. John the Baptist bore witness to the fact that Jesus was the Son of God, the One who would shine God’s light into a dark world.

John 1:8-9 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

Susie: Jesus would echo the message of John the Baptist that people needed to prepare for God’s kingdom by repenting of their sin.

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Susie: “Repent” is a word we throw around in religious circles, but do we have a clear understanding of its meaning? Can you expound on this word, Susan?

Susan: Simply put, to repent is to turn away from sin and run toward God. After you escape from a path following sin, you cling to God and as if dancing the waltz, you stay in hold. Let’s look at our favorite dictionary and the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance for specific definitions:

The American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828.

5. In theology, to sorrow or be pained for sin, as a violation of God's holy law, a dishonor to his character and government, and the foulest ingratitude to a Being of infinite benevolence.

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible

repent ³³⁴⁰ μετανοέω metanoéō, met-an-o-eh'-o; from G3326 and G3539; to think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider (morally, feel compunction): — repent.

Susan: Sometimes looking up a definition leads us to investigate another word. “Compunction” isn’t a word we use every day!

The American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828.

COMPUNCTION, noun [Latin To prick or sting.]

1. A pricking; stimulation; irritation; seldom used in a literal sense.

1.                A pricking of heart; poignant grief or remorse proceeding from a consciousness of guilt; the pain of sorrow or regret for having offended God, and incurred his wrath; the sting of conscience proceeding from a conviction of having violated a moral duty.

Susie: Therefore, we might conclude that to “repent” is to respond to the pricking of our hearts by the Holy Spirit often the result of someone wielding the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). What reason did Jesus give to spur the people to repentance?

Susan: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” We looked up the Greek word translated “at hand” and found that it could mean “to approach” or in this case “approaches.” Jesus was making the kingdom of Heaven accessible to us.

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible:

ἤγγικεν (ēngiken)

Verb – Perfect Indicative Active – 3^rd Person Singular

Strong’s Greek 1448: Trans: I bring near; intrans: I come near, approach. From eggus; to make near, i.e. approach.

Susan: I really appreciate The Passion Translation here because I deal with physical accessibility issues all the time. I appreciate the efforts my co-minister and roommate has made to ensure that our home is accessible for my wheelchair. Jesus bridges the gap between God’s standard (The Old Testament Law) and His Kingdom. I could never access Heaven by my own strength to obey God, but I can repent of my sin, run to God and trust Jesus to be my ramp into the Kingdom!

Matthew 4:17 (TPT) From that time on Jesus began to proclaim his message with these words: “Keep turning away from your sins and come back to God, for heaven’s kingdom realm is now accessible. Praise the Lord!

Ponder this and Apply it: We cannot truly repent until the Holy Spirit pricks our consciences making us aware that our sin separates us from a Holy God. Repentance is not an effort on our part: it is an acceptance of the truth that we cannot approach God on our own merit. We then turn from our sinful way of life and embrace the fact that Jesus paid the price for our sin on the cross. Jesus lived on earth as a man to bring the message that He is the way to Heaven, to peace with Father God. He stated, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6b). Jesus is the only access ramp to the eternal Kingdom of God. There is no stairway of works to Heaven. We must trust in, rely on Jesus alone.

LISTEN TO JESUS: FEEDING ON GOD'S WORK

LISTEN TO JESUS

FEEDING ON GOD’S WORK

John 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

Susie: Jesus explains that His food is to do God’s will. 

Susan: Jesus’s main purpose in becoming flesh was to show us the way to the Father in a tangible form to which we could relate. The final fulfillment of this purpose was to die in our place on the cross. 

Susie: This was the ultimate demonstration of the Father’s love for all who would believe and become His children. Even for us, there is nothing more fulfilling than knowing God’s will and obeying it. We can have completely full bellies yet feel a hunger deep within if we are not living out our God-given purposes. As Christians, we all have the primary purpose of “knowing God and making Him known” as Dawson Trotman of the Navigators so aptly put it. 

Susan: The specific ways that we fulfill making God known falls to every believer individually as they submit the gifts that God has bestowed upon them back to Him for His service. 

Susie: This is the secret of being spiritually filled. As Paul stated in Philippians, we can be content even if hungry or in need:

Philippians 4:12 (NIV) I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Susie: The secret of contentment is to be completely surrendered to Jesus Christ and filled with the power of His Holy Spirit.

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Susie: When our primary pursuit is an intimate, obedient relationship with our Lord, our spiritual hunger will be satiated. 

Susan: If we neglect to use the gifts the Lord has given us, we starve spiritually. If we are not being filled, we have nothing to pour into others.  This is the reason discipleship (mentorship) is vital, to nourish others. The mentors/ministers need someone to pour into them as well. 

Susie: And all of us need to be plugged into the main source – the Bible, the living Word of God.

Hebrews 4:12 (NASB) For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

John 4:35-38 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

Susie: Four months before harvest, the grain would still be green. A note in the John MacArthur Study Bible indicated that the crowd of people coming out from the town of Sychar, wearing the whitish robes of the day, may have looked like ripe heads of grain against the field of green. The harvest was coming to them, and all they had to do was reap. 

Susan: Because Jesus knows the hearts of men, has an eye better than superman’s, He knows they are ripe for harvest. 

Susie: He knows they are being drawn by the Holy Spirit to salvation. 

Susan: Jesus says to the disciples, “Get busy, boys, here they come!” 

Susie: As we serve Jesus, we are given the privilege of sowing seed (the Word of God) and reaping the harvest, seeing others surrender their lives to the Lord. Sometimes we sow, and sometimes we reap what others have sown. 

Susan: The disciples were late arriving to the harvest party, but Jesus still included them in the most important festivities. They probably had the privilege of baptizing the new believers. 

Susie: Both sowers and reapers receive wages or rewards. 

Susan: The wages or profit which Jesus offers here is the joy of seeing new believers come into the Kingdom of God. These rewards are accredited to our eternal account.

John 4:39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.

Susie: Because of the testimony of one irreputable woman, an awakening began in Sychar. 

Susan: The woman’s encounter with Jesus made her fearlessly bold. She dared to approach men with the message that she believed Jesus to be the Messiah and zealously presented them an impassioned plea to come and see for themselves. 

Susie: After they had met Jesus face to face, the people asked Him to stay with them because they wanted to hear more of what He preached. 

Susan: They were mesmerized by the truths that He was sharing and asked Him to stay on and teach them more. 

Susie: Therefore, Jesus and the disciples stayed there for two days. He not only traveled through Samaria but lodged there!

John 4:41-42 And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

Susie: After hearing Jesus teach, many more believed. Some told the woman they now believed because of hearing it with their own ears. 

Susan: What the woman had told them got them to travel to where Jesus was, but what Jesus taught after they arrived caused them to believe. 

Susie:  They proclaimed that Jesus was “indeed the Savior of the world.” 

Susan: Jesus was indeed the long-awaited Messiah.

Ways we can apply this to our lives:

·     We are tempted to believe that our one voice cannot make a difference in our world. The witness of this one rather unlikely woman sparked an interest that changed an entire town. Will you venture to be that one voice that shares with others the truth that Jesus has changed your life and is able to change theirs?

Week Off!

We need to take this week off to handle some family and household matters. Take this time to check out our archived posts that you may have missed! We will be back next week, so stay tuned! We appreciate all of our viewers and pray for you. Remember, you can submit specific prayer requests on our website: www.PreciousJewelsMinistries.org

LISTEN TO JESUS: MYSTERIOUS MEAL

LISTEN TO JESUS

MYSTERIOUS MEAL

John 4:27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?

Susie: If the disciples had come back too soon, they would have interrupted the important exchange between Jesus and the woman. Had they been much later, they would not have been privy to His meeting with her at all. I do not believe in coincidences. God’s timing is always perfect. 

Susan: Jesus probably wanted them to catch the end of the conversation because He wanted them to understand that He did not have the “Hatfields and McCoys” prejudice that was expected of a Jewish man when in the presence of a woman, especially one from Samaria.  

Susie: The disciples were surprised that Jesus was talking with a woman but none of them were bold enough to ask him about it, not even Peter who had a habit of putting his foot in his mouth. 

Susan: Perhaps they did not want to open a can of worms or risk a lecture about why the prejudice that had existed for a long time needed to be set aside. Jesus offered salvation EVEN to the Samaritans.

John 4:28-30 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city and came unto him.

Susie: The woman abandoned her water jar in her excitement to tell the very people who had probably scorned her in the past that she believed the Messiah was right there in their town. 

Susan: In her exuberance, the very reason she went to the well flew right out of her head and she left her water behind. All she could think about was sharing the joy of the freedom she had found in the Messiah.  

Susie: Because of her testimony that Jesus knew everything about her without being told, the people headed out to see Him for themselves. 

Susan: The passion in her voice and the zeal with which she was sharing her encounter caused the townspeople to become inquisitive about whether she had truly met the Messiah. 

Susie: Perhaps their entire perspective could be changed as hers was. She obviously had found something they each lacked. The living water . . . 

Susan: . . . the meaning of which flew right past her at first . . .  

Susie: . . . was now flowing through her to others. 

Susan: After her encounter with Jesus, the Samaritan woman became insightful. 

Susie: The Holy Spirit had enabled her to understand at last.

John 4:31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.

Susie: Meanwhile, back at the well, the disciples are trying to get Jesus to eat the food they purchased for Him.  They have no idea what just transpired and are only thinking of taking care of His human, physical needs. 

Susan: Jesus had sent them to get food, but now He is not eating it. What’s the deal?

John 4:32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Therefore, said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?

Susie: When Jesus tells the disciples He has food they are unaware of, they (like Nicodemus and the woman) are understanding this in terms of the physical. They wonder where this mysterious meat came from. They do not realize He is speaking of spiritual nourishment.

Ways we can apply this to our lives:

·     The woman immediately dropped everything and ran to tell her neighbors the Messiah had arrived. Are you spreading the Good News that Jesus offers forgiveness and freedom with everyone you know?

·     Do you boldly proclaim Jesus even to people who have shunned you?

LISTEN TO JESUS: I AM HE

LISTEN TO JESUS

I AM HE

John 4:25-26 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

Susan: This is the one occasion before Jesus was brought to trial that He point blank declares Himself to be the Messiah in no uncertain terms. In the case of the Samaritan woman, He makes sure she can make no mistake about Who He is. He is God in the flesh, the Messiah.

Susie: In the original language this could be translated, “I who speak to you am.” This is reminiscent of the way God chose to introduce Himself to Moses when He said, “I am that I am.” His statement should clear up the mud in the woman’s thinking about “living water.”

Ways we can apply this to our lives:

·     The woman at the well knew the promised Messiah would hold the answers to all of life’s questions, and Jesus declared “I am He.”

·     Are you thirsty for things only God can provide – forgiveness, cleansing, and power to live victoriously for Him? Have you come to the One who can give you living water? If so, Praise Him! If not, we pray you will understand His invitation to you and surrender your life right now. If you need further information about how to do this, contact us by using the “Contact Us” tab on the website www.PreciousJewelsMinistries.org.

·     Do you have questions? Turn to the Lord in the pages of the Bible and pray to find the answers. God will show you what you need to know.

LISTEN TO JESUS: WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

LISTEN TO JESUS

WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

John 4:21-22 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

Susie: Jesus makes the point that it is not worth debating whether to worship in Jerusalem or Mt. Gerazim because He knows that temple worship will soon be ended. There would be no further need of daily sacrifices once His work was completed on the cross. He states that salvation is through the Jews. The promise was made that salvation would come through Abraham’s seed . . . 

Susan: . . . and David’s throne . . .

Susie: . . . but would bless all nations. The Jews knew Who they worshipped, but ultimately only those who recognize Jesus as the Messiah will be the true worshippers.

John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Susie: Jesus could tell the woman that the hour is now here because He had arrived on the scene. His ministry on earth as the God-Man ushered in the time when people must worship “in spirit and in truth.”  God’s Holy Spirit within us enables us to commune with and worship God who is spirit. 

Susan: Knowing where our life comes from, the Spirit of God, we are constantly intertwined and empowered as we worship Him with complete honesty, transparency, and vulnerability. 

Susie: We need not hold anything back because as previously stated, God already knows.

Romans 8:16 (NIV) The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

Susie: We know we are His as we are led by the Holy Spirit. 

Susan: He affirms we are His chosen, adopted children by the way He moves in our lives and enables us to exalt Jesus, blazing an adventurous trail as we serve Him.

Susie: This life we live in Christ is not dull. 

Susan: It is exciting, exhilarating, and fulfilling! Come live in mine and Susie’s home for a while and you will see. 

Susie: It might get a bit cramped since there are already two of us in a small two-bedroom apartment (an upgrade from our original home in a one-bedroom apartment). Perhaps you might stick with visiting us on this blog until the Lord provides a guest room.

Ways we can apply this to our lives:

·     Our place of worship is not nearly as important as who we worship—the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, crucified to redeem us and risen from the dead

·     Where we worship does not matter as much as how we worship—indwelt by the Spirit, transparent before our Lord, and with wholehearted devotion to our Savior, Jesus