Calling the 12 Disciples—Matthew 4:18–22 (Bible Study with Hank Hanegraaff)

Hank Hanegraaff, the host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, reads Matthew 4: 18–22 and discusses Christ’s calling of His disciples. Jesus calls first Peter and Andrew, James and John (sons of Zebedee). (If you haven’t memorized the 12 you can find the list in Matthew 10: 2 (that’s easy to remember as 10+2=12)). All four were unlearned fishermen. But after three years with Jesus, they became the wisest of all men. And this is hardly an insignificant matter. Why? Because skeptics today are fond of claiming that these fishermen could hardly have written the gospels or the epistles—holding that they were forged by educated people living outside of Palestine. Evidence, however, points in an opposite direction. John, son of Zebedee, was a fisherman as indicated here in Matthew 4. But the operative word is “was.” Not only did he receive the ultimate education by the Master Teacher, but following the resurrection, he devoted himself to the study and ministry of the Word of God (Acts 6). If St. Paul admonished Timothy to study to show himself approved, “a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), how much more would an original apostle have devoted himself to that very thing. So, what did Jesus call these men to become? Fishers of men. He would train them for the great work of bringing people into the kingdom of heaven. As Jesus called His disciples to be fishers of men, so too He calls us to the same glorious task.

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