“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. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him” ( Matthew 4:21-22 21 And going on from thence he saw two other brethren, James the `son' of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. 22 And they straightway left the boat and their father, and followed him. ).

When Jesus first called James and John, they were unrefined, tough fishermen by trade. The Holy Spirit had already drawn them to faith in the Savior ( John 1:35 35 Again on the morrow John was standing, and two of his disciples; –51; 2:11), but now Jesus summoned them to work as evangelists in spreading His gospel. Like Peter and Andrew, they did not hesitate to leave the fishing business, which for James and John meant leaving the fishing to their father to follow Jesus right away.

These disciples lacked formal education and likely didn’t have much religious training either, nor was their spiritual perception noticeably apparent. They showed no more ability to fully understand Jesus’ teaching than any of the others, even when He taught in parables. They often demonstrated only slight potential for dependability, much less for greatness.

Jesus’ disciples were probably not all such raw recruits as James and John (or Peter and Andrew), but Jesus did not choose any of the Twelve from the Jewish elite religious leaders (cf. 1 Cor. 1:26–29). That omission undoubtedly caused many of those men—the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, priests, and rabbis—to reject the Lord and Savior. They could not fathom how someone who was not an official Jewish leader Himself and who chose no leaders to be among His closest associates could possibly be the Messiah.

Paul was the only apostle who had been a Jewish leader, and of course he was not among the original Twelve but considered himself “one untimely born,” exceptionally called to be an apostle (cf. 1 Cor. 15:8–10). As with everyone who believes, God’s call came by His exceeding grace.

Ask Yourself

Jesus had purpose for calling the ones He did into His ministry, just as He has purpose for calling you. If you’re failing to see the value He has placed on you, let the fishermen’s story encourage you today. He has more in mind for you than you can imagine—if you’ll just keep following.

From Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, Vol. 1, John MacArthur. Copyright © 2008. Used by permission of Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 60610, www.moodypublishers.com.

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