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Interpretation of the Gospel of Luke. Call to the apostolic ministry of fishermen

Matt. IV, 18-22: 18 And as He passed near the Sea of ​​Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting nets into the sea, for they were fishermen, 19 and He said to them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And they immediately left their nets and followed Him. 21 From there, going further, He saw the other two brothers, James Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 And they immediately left the boat and their father and followed Him.

Mk. I, 16-20:16 And as he passed near the Sea of ​​Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting nets into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 18 And they immediately left their nets and followed Him. 19 And having gone on from there a little, He saw James Zebedee and John his brother also in a boat mending nets; 20 and immediately called them. And they, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the workers, followed Him.

OK. V, 1-11:1 One day, when the people were crowding around Him to hear the word of God, and He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 He saw two boats standing on the lake; and the fishermen, leaving them, washed their nets. 3 Entering into one boat, which was Simon's, He asked him to sail a little from the shore and, sitting down, taught the people from the boat. 4 When he had stopped teaching, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered Him: Master! We toiled all night and caught nothing, but at Your word I will let down the net. 6 Having done this, they caught a great abundance of fish, and even their net was broken. 7 And they gave a sign to the companions who were on the other boat to come and help them; and they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8 Seeing this, Simon Peter fell at the knees of Jesus and said: Depart from me, Lord! because I am a sinful person. 9 For horror seized him and all who were with him because of this fishing of fish that they caught; 10 Also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were Simon's companions. And Jesus said to Simon: Do not be afraid; From now on you will catch people. 11 And having pulled both boats ashore, they left everything and followed Him.

A Guide to Studying the Four Gospels

Archbishop Averky (Taushev) (1906-1976)
A Guide to Studying the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament. Four Gospels. Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, 1954.

8. Calling of fishermen to the Apostolic ministry: Peter, Andrew, James and John

(Matt. IV, 18-22; Mark I, 16-20; Luke V, 1-11)

Three Evangelists tell us about the calling of the first Apostles: Matthew, Mark and Luke, and the first two briefly, as if stating only the very fact of the calling, and St. Luke describes in detail the miraculous catch of fish that preceded this calling. As St. tells us. Evangelist John, while still on the Jordan, His first disciples, Andrew and John, whom He had designated, followed the Lord, then Simon, Philip and Nathanael came to the Lord. But having returned with Jesus to Galilee, they little by little returned to their previous occupation - fishing. Now the Lord calls them to constantly follow Him, commanding them to leave fishing and devote themselves to other work - catching people for the Kingdom of God.

The rumor of the coming of the Messiah quickly spread throughout Galilee, and crowds of people flocked to listen to His teaching. Everyone crowded around Him, and so, one day, when He was on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, which was also called the sea (probably due to the strong storms that were there), He had to get into a boat to set sail a few times and teach the people from it. Having finished the teaching, the Lord ordered Simon, who owned the boat, to sail to the depths and cast his nets. An experienced fisherman, who worked unsuccessfully all night, was sure that the new catch would not be successful, but such a miraculous catch occurred that even the net broke through. Peter and Andrew had to call for help from their comrades who were in another boat, Jacob and John, so that they would help them pull out the caught fish. There were so many fish that both boats filled with them began to sink. Peter, overwhelmed with awe, fell at the feet of Jesus, saying: “Get away from me, Lord! because I am a sinful man." In these words, he wanted to express the consciousness of his unworthiness before the greatness and power of the Wonderworker. With a word of meekness, the Lord calms Peter and predicts his future high destiny. According to the testimony of the Evangelists Matthew and Mark, the Lord said to both brothers Peter and Andrew: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men!”, and then called the other two brothers James and John Zebedee to follow Him in the same way. Leaving their nets, and the last two and their father, they followed Jesus.

A. V. Ivanov (1837-1912)
A Guide to Studying the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament. Four Gospels. St. Petersburg, 1914.

Stay in Capernaum and the election of four disciples

(Mt. 4:13-22; Mk. 1:16-20; Lk. 5:1:11)

... Preach Him<Спасителя>always attracted such a crowd of people that He sometimes had to enter the boat and, having sailed a little from the shore, preach to the people from its elevated position. So one day He entered the boat of one of His followers, Simon, and asked him to retreat a few steps from the shore so that the people would not crowd towards Him.

At the end of the sermon, He invited Simon to sail to the depths and cast his nets into the sea. The fishermen had just finished fishing and barely had time to wash the nets without pulling out anything; but faith in the Commander prompted Simon to begin the difficult work again, which was rewarded with an extraordinary catch, so Simon had to invite neighboring fishermen to help. Overcome with horror, he fell at the feet of Jesus and asked Him to get out of his boat, fearing that the Divine power of the Wonderworker might strike him for his sins. But the Lord reassured him with a promise that from now on he would catch people.

Leaving the fishing nets, Simon, together with his brother Andrei, followed the Heavenly Teacher to learn His art of catching the souls of people.

Passing further, Jesus called the other two brothers, the sons of Zebedee, to the same craft, who also probably witnessed the miraculous catch of fish and, like their fellow craftsmen, leaving the nets and their father with the boat, followed Jesus.

Notes.

1. This calling to the Apostleship is different from that described by the Evangelist John. There, attracted to Jesus by the testimony of John the Baptist, Andrew and John bring Simon and Philip to Him, only following Jesus and then only becoming witnesses of His miracles in Cana and Jerusalem, hearers of His teaching in Samaria and Galilee; but without abandoning his studies and without even thinking of devoting himself to the service of the Messiah.

Arriving at the house, near the Sea of ​​Galilee, they went about their business. It was then that the final decision had to be made - whether they should follow the Messiah or remain in their studies, waiting for Him to open His Kingdom on Earth and call them to it. A miraculous catch of fish sealed their fate.

2. Only Luke mentions the miraculous catch of fish - of course, because he wanted to be more complete in the story about the calling of the Apostles. He places this event after the healing performed by Jesus Christ in the synagogue of Capernaum, and Matthew and Mark before. Evangelists don't always follow chronological order, but tell the story in accordance with their purpose. Luke, perhaps, wanted to set the faith of the inhabitants of Capernaum in contrast to the faith of the inhabitants of Nazareth, and placed this event now after the story of the stay of Jesus Christ in Nazareth.

3. The Sea of ​​Galilee, otherwise known as Lake Gennesaret and Lake Tiberias, is a small body of water formed by the flow of the Jordan and is about 5 miles (9 versts) long and 1.5 miles (2.5 versts) wide. It lies in the most beautiful region of Palestine, has picturesque shores on the Western side and abounds in fish - especially in its Northern part. Along its banks there were many cities, of which now only ruins remain: Tiberias, Kinneret (hence Lake Genisaret), Bethsaida, Capernaum, etc. The inhabitants were mainly engaged in fishing. The lake is subject to strong and frequent storms due to the proximity of many hills and elevations surrounding the lake.

4. Although the extraordinary catch of fish could be considered natural, but its comparison with unsuccessful night fishing, its production at the wrong time, which could be very well known to experienced fishermen, and finally the strength of the impression it made on fishermen who had seen abundant catches more than once - shows a wonderful effect in it.

The fear that attacked Simon at the sight of such an abundance of fish indicates his awareness of his sinfulness, which does not correspond to purity Divine power, touching him so closely.

So often one presence of high holiness strikes a sinner more than all the exhortations to repentance...

Jesus reassured Peter by telling him: “ Don't be afraid. Following Me now, you will then attract the minds and hearts of people to yourself with My word; ceasing to be a fisherman, you will become a fisher of men; from now on you will catch people(Luke 5:10).”

Hearing this call, Peter, followed by Andrew, James and John, pulled their boats ashore and, leaving both the nets and the caught fish in place, followed Jesus.

The Evangelists Matthew and Mark, speaking about the same calling of the Apostles, are silent about the fact that this calling was preceded by a miraculous catch of fish, as a result of which their narratives, which are completely consistent with each other, seem not to completely agree with the narrative of the Evangelist Luke. For comparison, here are the narratives of the first two Evangelists

Matthew. 4. 18-22: Mark. 1. 16-20:
Passing near the Sea of ​​Galilee, He saw two brothers: Simon, called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting nets into the sea, for they were fishermen, and He said to them: Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they immediately left their nets and followed Him. From there, going further, He saw two other brothers, James Zebedee and John his brother, in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and called them. And they immediately left the boat and their father and followed Him As he passed near the Sea of ​​Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting nets into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men. And they immediately left their nets and followed Him. And having gone a little way from there, He saw James Zebedee and John his brother also in a boat mending nets; and immediately called them. And they, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the workers, followed Him.

From a comparison of these narrations of the Evangelists Matthew and Mark, which are completely consistent with each other, with the narration of the Evangelist Luke, it is discovered that the calling of the disciples took place on the shore of a lake called the sea, while they were in boats with fishing nets; the only discrepancy is that, according to Luke’s story, Peter and his comrades were called after catching fish, and according to the story of Matthew and Mark, the calling took place when Peter and Andrew were throwing nets into the sea, and James and John were mending their nets.

There is no reason to believe that the Evangelists Matthew and Mark are not talking about the same event that the Evangelist Luke narrates, since it is incredible that Jesus Christ called the same disciples twice under such similar circumstances. Therefore, the apparent discrepancy in the narratives of the Evangelists should be explained by the fact that the first two Evangelists had in mind to tell only about How, at the call of Jesus, Peter, Andrew, James and John left everything and followed Him; telling only about this calling, they could pass over in silence the circumstances preceding this most important event in their eyes.

The calling of the disciples as told by the three Evangelists could be seen as first the calling of Peter, Andrew, James and John to follow Jesus as His disciples, if the Evangelist John, who generally supplemented the first three Gospels, had not told us about the calling of Andrew, Peter, John, James, Philip and Nathanael, which occurred earlier, following the solemn testimony of John the Baptist about Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God (John 1: 35-51).

Comparing these two callings with the circumstances preceding the second calling, we can conclude that after the first calling, the disciples of Jesus did not always follow Him during His travels, but sometimes went away to their former occupations; after the second call, they became His inseparable companions, and soon became chosen, among the twelve, Apostles.

The meaning of the synagogue

Jesus often taught in Jewish synagogues. A synagogue was a house for religious meetings: reading the law and public prayers. Although Moses commanded that worship and sacrifices be performed in only one place where the tabernacle was located (which was later moved to the first temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem), during the Babylonian captivity, far from Jerusalem, in a foreign land, the Jews felt an urgent need for public meetings with religious purpose; if in such meetings it was impossible to offer sacrifices to God according to the law of Moses, then it was at least possible to read the books of the law and pray together. Houses for such meetings were called synagogues. Synagogues later became such a necessary accessory to any Jewish settlement that even after the liberation of the Jews from captivity, they were built wherever Jews settled, not only in Palestine, but also in places of Jewish scattering. In the synagogue there were: an ark in which the books of the law were kept; a pulpit from which the law and the prophets were read, and places to sit. They gathered in the synagogue on Saturdays and holidays. Anyone who recognized himself as capable of doing so could read and interpret the law and the prophets. The reader usually stood while reading, and when he began to explain what he had read, he sat down.

Listening constantly to the dead word of their teachers, who were mainly the Pharisees, the Galileans were extremely surprised when they heard the living word of Jesus; they spoke as slaves of the law, but Jesus - as having power(Mark 1:22). The scribes and Pharisees distorted the meaning of the law, did not understand it themselves, and therefore did not speak with conviction and conviction. Jesus said Yours, what he heard from His Father, and therefore he spoke with authority, conviction and persuasiveness. It's clear what strong impression His speech affected unprejudiced listeners.

Evangelist Luke complements the story of Evangelist Mark, saying that Jesus is in Capernaum taught... on the Sabbath days(Luke 4:31), that is: every Saturday of His stay in Capernaum He taught in the synagogue.

While Jesus was teaching in the synagogue, there was a person who had an unclean spirit of demons(Luke 4:33), or, as Evangelist Mark says, possessed by an unclean spirit(Mark 1:23).

About demoniacs in general

Those who do not recognize the existence of evil spirits reject, of course, the possibility of their presence in man; they say that Jesus' contemporaries and Jesus Himself mistook crazy people for demons or possessed by an evil spirit.

In the chapter on temptation (pp. 146-147) it is said that the devil, an evil spirit or demon, has no power over a person, and if he defeats him, it is not by force, but by deception and deception. Man is given reason and free will, and with these weapons he can fight the temptations of the devil; but if he succumbs to the influence of an evil spirit, submits his will to it and does what he tells him, then he becomes possessed by an evil spirit.

“Possession cannot be confused with any physical illness; This special condition souls. The disorder noticed in the abilities of the possessed does not come from a painful state of the brain or other organs, but from the violent and destructive action of some higher will; therefore, the healing of a demoniac does not depend on medical science and can only be accomplished by the moral influence of spirit on spirit. True, demonic possession was usually accompanied by real illnesses; some feelings remained inactive: the possessed person either did not see or speak anything, or was subjected to convulsions and seizures; but it's a disorder organic life the demoniac was dependent on violent action the spirit that possessed him; The unity connecting soul and body is such that mental disorder entails organic disorder” (from Dido’s work “Jesus Christ”). Criminal courts and psychiatrists are aware of cases of unconscious and completely incomprehensible attraction of a person to commit some brutal crime, mostly murder. The person exposed to such an attraction does not immediately obey it; often he wages a fierce struggle with it, but at the same time he feels how his will is gradually weakening, how he resists this attraction less and less, how he finally succumbs to it, becomes its slave, goes and does aimless, insane, unjustifiable murder; and almost always commits it in a particularly brutal manner and seemingly quite calmly, cold-bloodedly. There have been cases when an unfortunate person subjected to such an attraction went to a hospital and spoke about his unconscious and uncontrollable desire to kill someone (it doesn’t matter - whom exactly), and in despair begged the doctors for salvation.

Professor S. Korsakov in his “Psychiatry Course” (p. 253) gives next case such an irresistible urge to commit murder. “Back in February (the patient says) I had the idea of ​​killing the children. For five months she pursued me; something was pushing me; I couldn’t get rid of her, either day or night, or at work. For three nights I got out of bed to kill children. The first night I ran out into the yard to drive this thought away; After half an hour I calmed down and went to bed. The next night I also went out and, returning to light a candle, I took a razor and, walking back and forth around the room, looked at the children with bloodthirstiness; finally, I put the razor in place and went to the barnyard... On the third night I went out and went in again several times to finish: I was completely ready... I entered the children's room, holding a candle in one hand, and another shovel... I looked to see if my son was in bed; he wasn't there. The curtains of my daughters' beds were drawn back and I could see that they were in bed. I walked over and put left leg on a chair to have support, and began to deliver one blow after another to their heads... They were sleeping, did not make a single movement... I don’t know how many blows I struck... Before the murder, I didn’t think about anything , as soon as about killing and running; after that I didn’t even look at the corpses, but I felt a very great relief, which lasted until I came to the forest. Then I felt a loss of strength and shouted: “I dead person“...” Later the patient said: “It had to happen; I couldn’t stop myself from doing this thing, murder.”...

Calling such violent or obsessive desires, professorS. Korsakov says: “The patient is aware that his attraction is completely insane, but cannot fight it. He foresees all its consequences, but cannot overcome the torment that he experiences before satisfying his reckless desire, harmful to himself and to those around him” (p. 251). “Sometimes obsessive desires reach highest degree tensions so quickly that they turn into action almost simultaneously with how this attraction reaches consciousness; however, even at the same time, the person does not lose consciousness: he subsequently clearly remembers what exactly he did, but he absolutely cannot understand for what reasons he did it and what attracted him.”

When doctors are asked in court whether it is possible to recognize an accused who committed a murder under the yoke of such an attraction as crazy, they, in most cases, based on a study of the previous life of the accused and the circumstances surrounding the commission of the crime, say: the accused acted with full consciousness of the criminality of the act he committed, and remembers everything he has done with all the smallest details; but his will was suppressed by an obsessive and violent attraction, and he was unable to resist this attraction. And if he committed a crime against his will, under the irresistible pressure of something obviously foreign to him, that is, someone else’s will, then whose terrible, criminal, hellishly evil will is it? Is it not the spirit that we call evil? And this unfortunate man, who, against his will, often commits an insane murder even of a person unknown to him, is he not possessed by an evil spirit?

Many people ask: “Why were there people possessed by demons in the time of Jesus Christ, but now they are not?”

In answering this question, we must note that it contains a major mistake: there have always been those possessed by an evil spirit and those possessed by demons, and at present there are many of them; but we pay almost no attention to those possessed who are not violent. Remember the high-profile criminal case of the murder of the moneylender Dimant, who took pleasure in admiring the helplessness and death of the victims of his usury. Remember Shylock (although he did not exist in reality, but was created as a type by the genius of Shakespeare), with hellish composure preparing to cut out a pound of meat near the heart of his debtor Antonio. Are these not possessed by an evil spirit? And if the possessed become violent and, therefore, dangerous to others, then they are hidden from us in insane asylums, where they die unnoticed by us.

There is no doubt that many so-called crazy people lose their minds due to some kind of bodily disease, mainly diseases of the brain; but there is also no doubt that among those kept in insane asylums there are many who suffer only from a disease of the will; and if their will is subordinated to a being invisible to them, then they should be considered possessed by an evil spirit.

Healing the demoniac

Those possessed by an evil spirit did not always go on a rampage even in the time of Jesus Christ; only the most violent ones moved away from cities and villages to deserted places, while others continued to live with their families. One of these, not particularly violent ones, sneaked into the synagogue in Capernaum while Jesus was teaching those gathered there, and unexpectedly for everyone in a loud voice shouted: leave; What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? You have come to destroy us; I know You, who You are, the Holy One of God. This cry made a stunning impression on everyone except Jesus, who in a calm and, at the same time, authoritative tone said to the evil spirit (under the influence of which the demoniac screamed): shut up and get out of it!(Luke 4:35). The demoniac fell in the middle of the synagogue, but immediately stood up completely healed, since the evil spirit, obeying the command of Jesus, left him.

Those in the synagogue had never seen anything like this before, and therefore horror fell on everyone(Luke 4:36).

The rumor about the extraordinary healing of a demoniac by expelling an evil spirit from him quickly spread throughout all surrounding places, as a result of which everyone who had sick various diseases, brought them to Jesus.

In this event of expelling the evil spirit, what especially attracts attention is the fact that it was obviously not the demon possessed who spoke to Jesus, but the demon himself; the possessed one only unquestioningly carried out the will of the demon, saying what he inspired him; Yes, and Jesus Christ, saying: Get out of it, - spoke these words to the evil spirit. Blessed Theophylact, in his interpretation of the Gospel of Luke, says that the demon, having reproached the Lord, then wanted to entice Him with affection, thinking that the Lord would leave him; that's why he says: I know You, who You are, the Holy One of God. But the Lord does not accept evidence from the demon, teaching us the same thing, and says: shut up and get out of it(Blessed Theophylact. Interpretation of the Gospel of Luke. P. 66).

And how often do we succumb to the flattery of the devil, which arouses in us pride, excessive conceit, sometimes reaching delusions of grandeur! To avoid such destructive deception, we must always remember that we cannot be our own judges, and that if we ourselves have too high an opinion of ourselves, then this opinion is not our own, but inspired in us by someone whose testimony should not be trusted.

The incident with the demoniac occurred either at the end of the teaching, or its extraordinary nature prevented it from being continued, only, according to the Evangelist Mark, Jesus soon left the synagogue. He was accompanied by four disciples, Simon, Andrew, James and John, who were called a second time after the miraculous catch of fish and now did not leave Him.


Related information.


Three evangelists tell us about the calling of the first apostles - the fishermen Peter, Andrew, James and John: Matthew (Matthew 4:11-22), Mark (Mark 1:16-20) and Luke (Luke 5:1-11). ), and the first two are brief, as if stating only the very fact of calling, and St. Luke describes in detail the miraculous catch of fish that preceded this calling. As St. tells us. Evangelist John, while still on the Jordan, His first disciples, Andrew and John, whom He had designated, followed the Lord, then Simon, Philip and Nathanael came to the Lord. But having returned with Jesus to Galilee, they little by little returned to their previous occupation - fishing. Now the Lord calls them to constantly follow Him, commanding them to leave fishing and devote themselves to other work - catching people for the Kingdom of God. The rumor of the coming of the Messiah quickly spread throughout Galilee, and crowds of people flocked to listen to His teaching. Everyone crowded around Him, and so, one day, when He was on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, which was also called the sea (probably due to the strong storms that were there), He had to get into a boat to set sail a few times and teach the people from it. I will be with His people(once, when the people were crowding towards Him), yes you heard(to hear) the word of God, and He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, And(y) see(l He) two ships(two boats) standing by the lake. the fishermen came from her(coming out of them) crying (ἔπλυνον , washed the nets). Get in(entering) but one from the ship, like Simonov, pray(asked) it is not enough to retreat from the earth(sail a few times from the shore), and the nations sat down from the ship. The Lord runs away from glory, and it pursues Him all the more. When the people were crowding around Him, He boarded the ship to teach those standing on the seashore from the ship, so that everyone was in front of Him, and no one went behind His back. Having finished the teaching, the Lord ordered Simon, who owned the boat, to sail to the depths and cast his nets: Like the rest of the verb(when did I stop teaching) speech to Simon, go to(sail on) depths, and plunge into the depths(throw down your nets) your catch(for fishing). Because He taught from the ship, He did not leave its owner without reward. He even doubly blessed him: he gave him many fish and made him His disciple. Marvel at the sight of the Lord, how He attracts everyone through a means characteristic and akin to him, for example: the wise men - through a star, and the fishermen - through fish. Notice the meekness of Christ, how He begs Peter to sail away from the earth, for begged, understand, instead begged. An experienced fisherman who had worked all night unsuccessfully, Peter was sure that the new fishing would not be successful either. And answering(in response) Simon speech(said) To Him, Mentor, I labored all night(worked) nothing yahom(they didn't catch anything). Notice also how submissive Peter was: He accepted a man whom he had not seen on his ship and obeys him in everything. When this one told him to sail to the depths, he was not burdened, did not say: I worked all night and gained nothing, and now will I listen to You and go into new labors? He didn’t say anything like that, but on the contrary: by verb(by word) to Yours, I will die(I'll cast a net). So Peter was warm in faith even before faith! That's why he caught so many fish that he couldn't pull them out alone. Such a miraculous catch occurred that even the net was broken. And behold the creator(having done this) Yasha(caught) a lot of fish. Tormented(broke through) mrezha ikh. Peter and Andrew had to call for help from their comrades who were in another boat, James and John, to help them pull out the caught fish: And beckoned to the communicant(signaled to comrades) like the other ships(who were on another boat) may they come and help(to come help) im. By signs they invited accomplices, that is, associates who were on another ship. He invited them with signs because, amazed by the extraordinary catch, he could not speak. And I will come(came) and performer(filled) Both ships are about to dive(so they started to sink). There were so many fish that both boats filled with them began to sink. Further, Peter, overwhelmed with horror, fell in deep reverence at the feet of Jesus and asks Jesus to get off the ship, saying about himself that he is a sinner and is unworthy to be with Him: (y) having seen(This) Simon Peter, fell on his knee Isusovoma, verb, go away (come out) from me, as a husband(because I'm human) I am a sinner, Lord. In these words, he wanted to express the consciousness of his unworthiness before the greatness and power of the Wonderworker. Horror has taken over(hug) him, and all that exists(all former) with him, about catching(from this fishing) fish, even Yasha(caught by them). Also(also and)IJacob andIHannah, the son of Zebedee, even the best of the priest (former comrades) Simonovi. With a word of meekness, the Lord calms Peter and predicts his future high destiny: And a speech to Simon Isus, don't be afraid, out of here (from now on) you'll be catching people. According to the testimony of the evangelists Matthew and Mark, the Lord said to both brothers Peter and Andrew: is coming (will come, go) according to me (after Mene, behind me), and I will make you (you to be) a fisher of man, and then called the other two brothers James and John Zebedee to follow Him in the same way. Leaving their nets, and the last two and their father, they followed Jesus. And extracted(pulling out) Both ships hit the ground(to the shore) the rest is all(left everything) always follow Him(followed Him). If you want, understand this in a figurative sense. The ship is a Jewish synagogue. Peter represents the type of teachers of the Law. The teachers who were before Christ worked all night (for the time before the coming of Christ is night) and achieved nothing. And when Christ came and the day came (see: Rom. 13:12), then the apostles, placed in the place of teachers of the law, by word, that is, according to His commandment, they cast down the net of the Gospel and catch a multitude of people. But the apostles alone cannot pull out the net with fish, but invite their accomplices and accomplices, and drag them along with them. These are the essence of the shepherds and teachers of the Church of all times; They, teaching and explaining the apostolic teaching, help the apostles to catch people. Pay attention to the expression: I'm literally freezing(I'll cast a net). For the Gospel is a network that has a humble presentation of speech, simple and close to the simplicity of the listeners; that is why it is said that it is abandoned. If someone says that casting a net signifies the depth of thoughts, then we can agree with this. So the word of the prophet was fulfilled when he said: I'll send you this(here, I will send) There are many fishermen, says the Lord, and they will catch(will be caught) them, and hereafter(Then) I will send them many fishers(hunters) and catch them from everyone iI(they will chase them with everyone) mountains, and from(co) every hill, and from stone caves(from the gorges of the rocks; Jer. 16, 16). He called the holy apostles fishermen, and fishers the rulers and teachers of the Church of subsequent times.

In the very first days of His stay in Capernaum, the Lord Jesus called four apostles: Peter and Andrew, James and John. It was necessary for them to be witnesses of His life, teachings and miracles, until His ascension into heaven. PASSING NEAR THE SEA OF GALILE, - the evangelist narrates, - the Lord knew that at that time four of His future apostles were fishing there, and came to call them to the apostleship: HE SAW TWO BROTHERS: SIMON CALLED(whom the Lord had called Peter even earlier, at their first meeting) PETER, AND ANDREY, HIS BROTHER, whom she named the First-Called, CASTING NETS INTO THE SEA, FOR THEY WERE FISHERMANS, people are poor, simple, unlearned; These are the people from whom the Lord chose His first apostles, so that they may not boast before Him wise in wisdom yours. AND HE SAYS TO THEM: FOLLOW ME, AND I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MAN.. The world with all its vanity is the same as a stormy sea; human souls are the same as fish in this worldly sea. The trap or net with which the apostles catch people is - Holy Gospel. Just as a fisherman draws fish from the sea with a net, so the apostles, by preaching the Gospel of Christ, draw souls from the sinful vanity of life, from the abyss of unbelief, into the grace-filled ship of Christ, that is, into God, which leads them to the bright Kingdom of Heaven. Truly happy is he who is caught in the realm of Christ and is found on the ship of the Orthodox Church. The Heavenly Pilot will not allow him to fall into the jaws of the deep serpent, the devil, unless he himself remains on the ship of Christ, that is, does not leave Orthodox Church into schisms and heresies. But did the fishermen apostles understand then what this promise of Christ meant - to make them fishers of men? Hardly... And yet, they didn’t think for a minute, didn’t even stop to hand over their fishing nets to someone so that they wouldn’t go to waste: they simply threw them away and immediately followed Jesus with full readiness : AND THEY IMMEDIATELY, LEAVING THE NET, FOLLOWED HIM.

Such is the power of the Divine word of Jesus. But their faith in Christ was also great: although He called them, He did not force them; They might not have gone, but, nevertheless, they went, and they went immediately. This is the same obedience that Christ our Savior desires from us: so that we do not delay for a minute what His law requires. And as He then said to the apostles: “Follow Me,” so now He calls everyone to Himself: “come to me, all of you..”. (). If you, a Christian, hear the word of God or the voice of your own conscience, calling you to prayer or to a good deed pleasing to God, then know that it is Christ who walks invisibly by and looks and calls you. The apostles followed Christ, which means they became inseparable companions, His disciples, and surrendered with all their hearts to His holy will. With them, Christ the Savior walks further along the shore. FROM THERE, GOING FURTHER, HE SAW THE OTHER TWO BROTHERS, JAMES OF ZEBEDEE AND JOHN HIS BROTHER, IN THE BOAT WITH THEIR FATHER ZEBEDEE, MENDING THEIR NETS. They had nothing to buy new nets with, so they repaired old, tattered nets; in such poverty, James and John fed on their righteous labors and, bound by a union of brotherly love, they did not leave their old father and served him like loving children. Their mother, the pious Salome, subsequently walked with other holy wives in the footsteps of the Lord and served Him as best she could. AND CALLED THEM- the Lord Jesus called them, of course, with His same powerful word: “follow Me.” He did not even promise them what he promised Simon and Andrew, but they, too, following the example of their fishing comrades, unquestioningly, without any hesitation, followed the Lord. At the same time, they had to part with that which is more valuable than fishing nets: to leave their father, but even the power of filial love could not resist the power of the word of Jesus; AND THEY IMMEDIATELY LEAVING THE BOAT AND THEIR FATHER, FOLLOWED HIM. It is worthy of note that the Lord does not say to the apostles: “leave the land, leave the ship and your father,” He says: “follow Me” (); but when they want to fulfill this word, it turns out that they must begin by abandoning both the monsters and the father. This means that whoever really wants to be on the path to heaven must leave all earthly attachments, everything that hinders the salvation of the soul. “This is the case,” notes Blessed Theophylact, “when you need to leave your father: when he interferes with virtue and pleasing God.” You must believe that the Heavenly Father, for your obedience to His will, will not only bring you to heaven, but can also attract your opposing earthly father there with your faith.

So, obedient to the voice of the Lord, the newly called apostles, fishermen, said goodbye to their lake, to their former occupation, to their father and followed the Lord. So, one might say, the fishing vessel became the cradle of Christianity, and fishing nets became its midwives. AND JESUS ​​WALKED ALL OVER GALILEE, passed through all the places in the region to do various spiritual and physical benefits to people. It was not the disciples who gathered to the Teacher because they needed Him, but the Teacher goes everywhere to gather the disciples. Those who are not sick are looking for the Doctor in order to receive healing from Him, but the Doctor is looking for those who are sick in order to give them healing. Truly, as He Himself said: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve”(). And He served, passing through Galilee, TEACHING IN THEIR SYNAGOGES, i.e. in those places where Jews gathered on holidays to pray, read and listen to the word of God. Hosts or synagogues for the Jews were almost the same as for us, Orthodox Christians, the Church of God: only they could not make sacrifices in the synagogues, since sacrifices could only be made in the Temple of Jerusalem. Christ the Savior came to the synagogue every Saturday and prayed here, like every pious Israeli, giving us an example not only to pray at home, but also in the Church of God, especially on established holidays. And the Jews could see that He was not an enemy of the Law, that He willingly fulfilled all its instructions; could hear from His lips that He was not an opponent of Moses, because after the prayer the Savior openly taught the people in the synagogue, AND PREACHING THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM, announced the joyful news that the long-desired time had finally come, which Moses and all the prophets predicted, that the Kingdom of God would open on earth. This Kingdom of God, about which the Lord spoke, was invisible; The Jews had never heard such a teaching as He preached, and so, in order to assure them of the truth of His Divine teaching, He confirmed His words with wondrous miracles, AND HEALING EVERY DISEASE, all sorts of outdated things, incurable disease, AND EVERY WEAKNESS, any random infirmity, IN PEOPLE. Popular rumors quickly spread about the newly-minted Prophet, the Wonderworker: AND THERE WAS A RUMOR ABOUT HIM- glory about Him - ALL OVER SYRIA, throughout that Roman region, which stretched from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the Asia Minor regions to desert Arabia. AND THEY BROUGHT TO HIM ALL THE WEEKLY, POSSESSED WITH VARIOUS DISEASES AND FEATURES, AND THE POSSESSED, that is, possessed by evil spirits who, with God's permission, take possession of people for their unclean, sinful lives, especially for pride and unrepentance for sins.

Demons take possession of such people and torment them; led to the Savior AND LUNATICS, who were especially tormented by the demon during the full moon, who wander in their sleep on the roofs of houses and climb wherever they can, AND RELAXED, or paralyzed, lying motionless, AND HE HEALED THEM He healed everyone, not with human power, not with any kind of medical art, but with His omnipotent Divine power - with one touch, even with one word. And there were so many of these miraculous signs that the Evangelist Matthew does not consider it necessary to describe each miracle separately, but only briefly mentions them all. Christ poured around Him, in the words of St. John Chrysostom, a whole indescribable sea of ​​miracles.

Calling of the first apostles

(John 1:35-51)
After being tempted by the devil, the Lord Jesus Christ again went to the Jordan to John. Meanwhile, on the eve of His coming, John gave a new solemn testimony about Him before the Pharisees, no longer as only the coming one, but as the coming Messiah. The Evangelist John alone talks about this in Chapter 1. Art. 19 - 34. The Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to John to ask who he was, whether it was Christ, for, according to their ideas, only the Messiah-Christ could baptize. “And confession and not denying: and confession that I am not Christ.” When asked who he is then, is he not a prophet, he calls himself “the voice of one crying in the wilderness” and emphasizes that his baptism with water, like his entire ministry, is only preparatory, and in order to remove all questions from himself, in the conclusion of his answer solemnly declares: “In the midst of you stands Someone, Whom you do not know” (v. 26), “He comes to His service after me, but has eternal existence and Divine dignity, and I am not worthy even to be His slave.” This testimony was given in Bethabara - where a large crowd flocked to John (vv. 27-28).

The next day after this, when Jesus, after being tempted by the devil, came again to the Jordan, John pronounces a solemn testimony about Him, calling Him “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” and certifying that this is the One about whose coming he and preached, and that he was convinced that this was the Son of God who baptized with the Holy Spirit, since he saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and remaining on Him (John 1:29-34).

The day after this personal testimony about the coming Messiah, the Son of God, taking away the sins of the world, John again stood with two of his disciples on the banks of the Jordan. Likewise, Jesus again walked along the banks of the Jordan. Having seen the Lord, John again repeats his yesterday’s testimony about Him: “Behold the Lamb of God” (John 1:36). Calling Christ the Lamb, John refers to Him the remarkable prophecy of Isaiah in chapter 53, where the Messiah is presented in the form of a sheep led to the slaughter, a lamb silent before its shearers (v. 7).

Consequently, the main idea of ​​this testimony of John is that Christ is the sacrifice offered by God for the sins of people. But in the words: “take away the sins of the world,” this great living Sacrifice is also represented by the High Priest, who officiates Himself: takes upon Himself the sins of the world and offers Himself as a sacrifice for the world.

Hearing this testimony of John, two of his disciples this time followed Jesus to where He lived, and spent time with Him from the Tenth Hour (in our opinion from the fourth afternoon) to late evening in listening to His conversation, which instilled in them an unshakable conviction that He is the Messiah (38-41). One of these disciples was Andrew, and the other was the Evangelist John himself, who never identifies himself when narrating the events in which he participated. Returning home after a conversation with the Lord, Andrew was the first to announce to his brother Simon that he and John had found the Messiah (v. 41). Thus, Andrew was not only the First-Called Disciple of Christ, as he is usually called, but he was also the first of the Apostles to preach Him, convert and lead the future Chief Apostle to Christ. When Andrew brought his brother to Christ, looking at him with His searching gaze, the Lord named him “Kephas,” which means, as the Evangelist himself explains, “stone,” in Greek, “Petros.” The next day after the arrival of Andrew and John, Christ wanted to go to Galilee and called Philip to follow Him, and Philip, having found his friend Nathanael, wanted to attract him to follow Christ, saying to him: “Who wrote Moses in the law and the prophets, found Jesus the son of Joseph from Nazareth" (v. 45). Nathanael, however, objected to him: “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Apparently, Nathanael shared the prejudice common to many Jews of that time that Christ, as a king with earthly greatness, would come and appear in glory among the highest society of Jerusalem; Meanwhile, Galilee enjoyed a very bad reputation among the Jews, and Nazareth, this small town, which is never even mentioned anywhere in holy scripture Old Testament, it seemed, could in no way be the place of birth and appearance of the Messiah promised by the prophets. Philip's believing soul, however, did not find it necessary to refute this friend's prejudice. Philip left him to see for himself the truth of his words. "Come and see!" he told him. Nathanael, as a frank and sincere man, wanting to investigate how true what his friend was telling him was, immediately went to Jesus. And the Lord testified to the simplicity and ingenuity of his soul, telling him: “Behold, truly an Israelite, there is no flattery in him.” Nathanael expressed surprise at how the Lord could know him, seeing him for the first time. And then the Lord, in order to finally dispel his doubts and attract him to Himself, reveals to him His Divine omniscience, hinting to him one mysterious circumstance, the meaning of which was known to no one except Nathanael himself: “I saw you under the fig tree.” What happened to Nathanael under the fig tree is hidden from us and, as can be seen, it was such a secret that, besides Nathanael himself, only God could know. And this struck Nathanael so much that all his doubts about Jesus instantly dissipated: he realized that before him was not an ordinary person, but Someone gifted with Divine omniscience, and he immediately believed in Jesus as the Divine Messenger-Messiah, expressing this with an exclamation , full of ardent faith: “Rabbi (which means “teacher”), You are the Son of God, You are the King of Israel!” (v. 49). It is believed that Nathanael had the custom of performing the prescribed prayer under the fig tree, and, probably, once during such prayer he experienced special experiences that he forever vividly remembered and about which none of the people could know. That is why the words of the Lord immediately awakened in him such ardent faith in Him as in the Son of God, to whom the innermost states of the human soul are revealed.

To this exclamation of Nathanael, the Lord, turning not only to him personally, but to all His followers, predicted: “Amen, amen, I say to you: from now on you will see the heavens opened, and the Angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” With these words, the Lord wanted to tell His disciples that they would see His glory with spiritual eyes, that the ancient prophecy about the connection of heaven with earth by a mysterious staircase, which the Old Testament patriarch Jacob saw in a dream (Gen. 28:11-17) was fulfilled through the incarnation of the Son of God, who became now "Son of Man". The Lord began to call Himself by this name often. In the Gospel we count about 80 cases when the Lord calls Himself this way. By this, Christ positively and irrefutably affirms His humanity and at the same time emphasizes that He is a Man in the highest sense of the word, an ideal, universal, absolute man, the Second Adam, the founder of a new humanity renewed by Him through His suffering on the cross. Thus, this name by no means expresses only the humiliation of Christ, but rather at the same time expresses His exaltation above general level, indicating in Him the realized ideal of human nature, man as he should be, according to the thoughts of his Creator and Creator God.